Capitol Love
by EvilxEye
Summary: What is Finnick Odair's life really like in the Capitol? What happens when a mysterious woman enters Finnick's life? Finnick finds himself enthralled with Lethe Everton and the mysteries she hides. This is the story of what happens when a lonely heart meets another lonely heart. Will the famous Finnick Odair let himself fall in love in the Capitol?
1. Chapter 1

**It's my** **first ****fanfiction so go easy on me :) Hope you like it and please review! Share your opinions with me.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

I hated this particular client. No matter how I felt though, I had to get ready and perform. I reminded myself of everyone I was saving from a gruesome demise by following President Snows orders; Annie, my mother and father, my older sister and her husband and their two children.

I tossed President Snow's note into the trash and made my way to my bedroom to get ready. I slapped on lotion that would make my tan skin glow, tugged on lightly faded jeans and slipped a loose button down shirt over my torso. It was sequined gold that I was once told brought out subtle gold tones in my sea-green eyes.

I buttoned my shirt up as I trotted down the stairs of my apartment building to meet the car that would deliver me to my appointment. I wasn't even waiting outside five minutes before the black, non-descript car pulled up along the smooth sidewalk. The driver stepped out and held the backseat door open for me.

"Mr Odair."

I nodded at him as I quickly jumped in. "Thank you."

The driver hopped back behind the wheel and manoeuvred the car into the street. I was thankful the windows were tinted as I settled into the leather seats. I watched Capitol people on the sidewalks as the car drove deeper into the city.

I reluctantly got out of the car when the driver finally pulled the car to a stop on a deserted street alongside a magnificent house. The house was easily twice the size of my house back in Victors Village in District 4. As soon as I shut the car door behind me, the car took off into the night.

I took a deep breath to gather my resolve and then pressed the doorbell. The door swung open immediately like my client had been waiting on the other side for me to arrive. I was surprised to actually see an Avox girl with soft brown hair. She gestured for me to come in and then swiftly closed the door.

I followed her soundlessly through the entrance hall and down a small hallway. We stopped in front of a plain door and she motioned for me to just go in. I nodded and she retreated back down the hallway.

I hesitantly let myself into the room where a man with dark eyes, dirty blonde hair and a strange patterned beard was waiting for me on a bed.

"Ah, Finnick Odair! I've been expecting you," he said with a smirk. He patted the spot next to him on the bed where I reluctantly joined him.

"Sir Reedius Clarke," I purred. It was time to pull my Capitol mask on.

"You look...so enthralling," Reedius purred back as he reached forward and touched my neck. He stroked my chest as he looked my body up and down hungrily.

"As do you," I flirted back with a smirk. I hated this client but of course I wasn't fond of any of my clients. Being forced to be a sex slave for President Snow didn't and never would appeal to me. If President Snow hadn't threatened my family and loved ones, and successfully murdered my little brother as a first and final warning after I refused a male client, I'd never have found myself in this line of work. The memory of my little brother Tor threatened to overwhelm me when Reedius started rubbing between my legs.

"Take off your clothes," Reedius demanded. I slipped off the bed and started shedding my clothes. When I first started I was hesitant to whip off my clothes at a clients demand but now it was just part of my unfortunate situation. Once I was naked, I crawled back onto the bed with Reedius watching me greedily. I noted vaguely that he had shed his shirt but he was still wearing his pants.

Reedius moved until he was on top of me and crashed his lips to mine, forcing his tongue into my mouth. He reached down and started rubbing between my legs again but harder and faster than last time. I kissed him back as I rubbed my hands all over Reedius's chest, eventually reaching lower and lower until I'm rubbing him between his legs through his jeans. Reedius pushed me farther into the bed as he continued to thrust his tongue into my mouth. He pulled back momentarily to shed his jeans and undergarment and then started rubbing his erection against my limp one. He looked down, disappointed.

"Sorry. I had too much wine. Do you have anything to help me out?" I asked with a pouty smile gracing my lips.

"Of course. Just one moment." Reedius pressed one more hard kiss to my lips before heading to his dresser and pulling out a pill and handcuffs.

"I need some assistance too," Reedius explained with a sinister grin when he saw me eyeing the handcuffs. I had had handcuffs used on me before but I always hated the helpless feeling of not having my hands free.

Reedius commanded me to stick out my tongue and then placed the tiny pill on the tip of my tongue. I swallowed and then Reedius pushed me back down on the bed. I let my arms go limp as Reedius dragged my arms above my head and handcuffed me to the metal bed frame.

My head started feeling fuzzy immediately and I realized that it was probably the pill. It obviously wasn't like the pills I had taken before and it didn't feel right. It gave me an erection but my head swam and the edges of my vision were glittery.

Reedius suddenly bit down on my shoulder, making me gasp and to pull on the restraints slightly. My reaction made Reedius more excited as he raised a hand and brought it down hard on my cheek.

"Look at my conquered champion," cooed Reedius, leering down at me. "What are you going to do all tied up?"

Male clients were always the worst. They felt the need to dominate so they took pleasure in rendering me helpless in restraints and then beating on me. Some were gentler with the beatings but a lot of the time they gave it everything they had.

Reedius slapped me again. And then again. He kept going, throwing all his strength behind his hand, but when I refused to cry out, he threw a closed fist into my jaw.

"Ah!" I yelped in pain. The handcuffs and the fuzziness in my head prevented me from retaliating in any way.

Reedius reached down to his discarded pants and pulled his belt from the loops. The leather slid out with ease and Reedius rolled it around his hand until about six inches hung loosely. His hand reared back and then he brought it down to whip me across the chest.

"Ahhh!" I cried out in pain as Reedius brought the belt down on my chest, stomach, and legs over and over again. When my body was thoroughly covered in angry red lines, Reedius tossed the belt back down to the floor.

He grabbed a fistful of my bronze hair to pull my head back and he suddenly turned me onto my stomach with his free hand. He kicked my legs until I was kneeling and then I felt his body pressed against my back as he leaned forward to lick up my neck and cheek. Then there was a white hot pain that I had to scrunch my eyes against.

Twisting and pulling against the metal restraints, my wrists were rubbed raw and started to bleed. Groans of pain escaped my lips as I tried with all my might to control the impulse to throw Reedius off. The drugs successfully blurred my vision and made my muscles feel shaky and weak.

I tried to think of something good and beautiful, like Annie, to take my mind off the pain as Reedius slammed himself into me with so much force that I felt myself start to bleed. I wailed in pain as he continued to shove himself into me, drag himself out and then slam back into me.

Reedius finally slowed and then drew himself out. I watched from the corner of my eye as he reached down to a drawer and pulled something large out. Reedius grasped my hips and flipped me back onto my back. I tried to stifle my yelp of pain when I put pressure on my rear.

"Open your mouth," Reedius ordered as he shoved a plastic play toy down my throat without waiting for me to open my lips. I choked on the large toy and gagged as it hit the back of my throat. Reedius pulled it out slowly and then rammed it back in.

After he set a steady rhythm for a few minutes, he pushed it against the inside of my cheek and then slapped that side of my face. He kept slapping until my cheek was beet red. Then he pushed the toy as far down my throat as possible and pinched my nose shut with his free hand.

I writhed and squirmed as I tried to escape the asphyxiating hold. I eventually pulled away with enough force to free my nostrils from his pinching hold but Reedius found another hold on my neck. He continued to force the toy in and out and I knew we could both feel the toy in my throat as it pushed against the muscle under Reedius's grasp.

Finally the toy was taken out of my mouth but Reedius's hand continued to grasp my throat until I could feel my eyes roll back in my head. Reedius held on for another second and then he let go. I coughed up a storm as I gasped and tried to inhale a much needed breath.

I thought it was finally over when Reedius sat on my chest and pried my lips apart with his fingers. I closed my eyes and let images of Annie flash through my mind as I laid back and let Reedius rape my mouth. I completely blocked out the feeling of his member against my tongue and the grunts of pleasure coming from his lips as I dreamed up the perfect scenario for me and Annie's reunion.

Eventually he took himself out of my mouth, flipped me over again and forced himself back into me. I was silently thankful that he didn't let himself finish in my mouth.

Two hours had passed when Reedius finished raping me and beating me with his belt, a whip and a cane that he had had for some reason. I lay beneath him as he sneered down at me, bruised, bloody and swollen.

"You may go," said Reedius, dismissing me as he reached forward to unlock my handcuffs. Once my wrists were free, Reedius slipped his clothes back on and simply walked out of the room.

It took me a moment to realize it was over and I was allowed to leave. I smothered my cries of pain as I stood up and reached for my clothes. Putting on my clothes on proved to be especially strenuous as I tried to slip on my jeans as gingerly as possible. The rough material chaffed and stung my raw skin. My vision was blurred and the room spun from the drugs and I tripped numerous times as I left the room.

The Avox girl was waiting in the hallway for me and shock crossed her face when she saw me. I was in the worst shape I have ever been in. She didn't try to help me though as she led me back outside.

Once the front door was closed behind me, I was almost angry that the car wasn't here yet to take me back to the relative safety of my apartment. I brushed blood out of my eye that was dripping from a gash on my forehead as I stumbled my way along the sidewalk. I felt queasy and it took all my effort not to spew on the pavement.

A few minutes later, I couldn't hold myself up anymore and staggered into an alley. I finally couldn't control my stomach and I vomited the contents of my stomach near a trash bin. I dragged myself to the opening of the alley and fell to the ground. Hopefully someone would see me and take pity on the famous Finnick Odair. I scoffed at my nickname. I wasn't famous; I was just a sex slave.

A headache throbbed in my temples and everything was an abstract blur. I moaned as my gut clenched, like I was about to vomit again. Luckily the pang left.

The blurry vision of the alley seemed to spin even faster in front of me and my vision dimmed darker and darker. I thought I saw a slender figure in the opening of the alley and I prayed it was my car driver but I didn't have the energy to utter a word before I blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

The surroundings didn't make sense to me when I woke up to find myself in a warm bed with a cold cloth on my forehead. I shifted my head to the left where I saw a small table laden down with gauze, a clear bowl filled bloody water and a washcloth, another bowl with clear water, cotton, ointment and rolled bandages. There was also a small chair were I saw my jeans and gold shirt, washed of blood and vomit, folded on the seat.

I lifted the blanket to see that my wounds had been carefully attended to and bandaged. I also noticed I was just wearing my undergarments.

I looked to my right and almost fell out of the bed in surprise. There was a plush chair against the wall by the bed and a woman was carefully folded into the seat, asleep. She was young and beautiful and obviously Capitol but she didn't look like the usual Capitol person.

She had long, shimmering gold, blonde hair that waved gently around her small face. Her lips were parted slightly in sleep. I couldn't see any physical alterations on her except thin lines of sparkling silver eyeliner on her thick lashes.

I had no idea who she was but I guessed that she was probably the slender figure I had seen in the alley before I had blacked out. How did she carry me here? And where was here?

No one ever tended to me without expecting something from me in return. I felt apprehensive about what she would want but I was thankful that she had found me. Before I let myself go crazy worrying about this strange girl, I laid back down and fell back asleep.

* * *

The next time I woke up I noticed the girl was gone. I sat up gingerly and was surprised that my rear didn't hurt. I flushed, embarrassed that the woman had to attend to the wounds on my rear. I was about the throw my legs over the side of the bed when the door opened.

The woman walked into the room carrying a tray with a bowl emitting steam and a glass of orange juice. When she saw that I was awake and sitting up, she nearly dropped the tray.

"Oh, you're awake."

Her voice was methodic and when she raised her eyes to survey me, I almost gasped. They were a deep cerulean blue with silver flecks that her eyeliner brought out. Everything about her was beautiful as I took in her medium height and slim build.

"Who are you?" I asked. The girl ignored me as she moved into the room and placed the tray across my lap. She reached behind me and fluffed my pillows a little before she settled back into her empty chair.

"It's chicken soup. You better eat it before it gets cold," she said, drawing her legs up and resting her chin on her knees. She was wearing black yoga pants and a light blue, billowy tank top. She definitely wasn't dressed like a Capitol person.

"Tell me who you are and how you found me," I pressed, ignoring the delicious smell of the soup.

She smirked. "How about you eat and I'll talk."

"Fine," I grumbled. She watched me take a spoonful of soup before she started talking.

"I'm Lethe Everton. Nice to meet you Finnick Odair."

I chuckled. "Nice to meet you too. How did you find me though?"

"I was simply taking a walk when I heard a moan coming from the alley. Lucky for you I was there or who knows who would have found you."

I took another spoonful. "Why would you be taking a walk that late at night?"

Lethe looked annoyed at my question. "I just was, okay?"

My eyebrows shot up at her hostility. "Okay."

"Anyways, I saw a car over at Reedius Clarke's place and I figured it was your car. I sent it away by telling the driver that you finished early and someone else had picked you up."

"Why?" I asked, taking a sip of juice. "Wouldn't it have been easier for you to just give me over to the driver?"

Lethe shrugged. "It probably would have been but I just had this gut feeling that I shouldn't. I always go with my gut feeling."

"How did you bring me wherever we are now?"

"Oh, we're at my apartment. I had no idea where you lived so I brought you here."

I looked her up and down. "You don't look like you could have carried me back here."

She grinned. "I'm stronger than I look. You were totally unconscious but I managed to pull you off the ground. I wrapped your arms around my neck and kind of dragged you."

I flushed. "Well thank you."

"It was no problem. I brought you back here and treated you with my first aid kit. I didn't have anything to treat your...ah...rear so I ran to the hospital and got some pills." Her face was a little red at the mention of my most private wound.

I grinned. "So you..."

Lethe held up her hands like she was stopping traffic. "No! I didn't see or do anything, I swear! You were semi-coherent so I managed to get you to swallow the pills that would treat the wound for me."

"But you treated everything else?"

"Yup," she replied, rather proudly.

"Well thank you."

Lethe unfolded herself and stood up. "I'll let you finish your soup in peace. I'll bring you some better clothes than that stupid sequined thing to put on."

"I happen to like that stupid sequined thing," I laughed.

"Well then you need a lesson in taste." She flashed me a smile before exiting and closing the door gently behind her.

Lethe came back a few minutes later with a folded bundle in her hands. I had finished my soup and juice and laid the tray carefully on the end of the bed.

"Here's a shirt and pants. Sorry I don't have socks or anything," said Lethe, handing me the clothes. She picked up the tray of used dishes. "If you're still hungry, you can come into the kitchen when you're dressed."

As I dressed in black cargo pants and dark green shirt, I wondered about Lethe. So far she hadn't mentioned anything about me owing her or anything. I don't remember seeing her around in the Capitol and I definitely would have remembered if she had ever been one of my clients. I wasn't used to genuine kindness from someone from the Capitol and it unnerved me.

I made my way into the kitchen by following the smell of baking. Lethe's apartment was small but cozy and tidy. From what I could see, it had a living room, a kitchen, at least two bedrooms and a bathroom.

"Do you like chocolate?" asked Lethe, without turning from the sink. She must have heard me approach though I was usually a silent walker. "Because I have brownies in the oven."

I slid into a seat at her small kitchen table facing her back. "I never heard of a Capitol woman baking."

I saw her back stiffen. "I'm not the usual Capitol woman."

"I can see that. And yes, I like brownies."

"Good. If you want actual food though, be my guest to raid my refrigerator."

"Nah, I think I'm okay with giving myself a brownie gut."

I heard Lethe snort and I started laughing. She turned her head to peer at me with a grin. Suddenly I was struck with the thought of Annie. How would she feel about me being cared for by a strange young woman? How would she feel about me being alone with Lethe in her apartment?

Lethe noticed my frown and drew away from the sink. She dried her hands on a towel and came to sit at the table with me. "What's wrong Finnick?"

"I shouldn't be here."

She tilted her head slightly. "If you want to leave, you can. I mean, I'm not keeping you here."

I shook my bronzed head. "It's not that I'm ungrateful or anything. And it's not like its not nice being here."

Her smile was understanding. "It's the fact that you have a girlfriend that you love."

I frowned. "What?"

She giggled. She actually giggled like a teenager. "Everyone knows that you're in love with Annie Cresta. It's not a secret Finnick."

I smiled. "I don't know how she would react to me being in a stranger's apartment."

Lethe wrinkled her nose. "If I was your girlfriend, I wouldn't be too happy if I found out about it."

"Annie's usually really understanding. I mean, if I told her you saved my life, she'd be really grateful to you."

Lethe reached a hand forward and rested it on top of mine. "You really miss her. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about her. How often do you get to see her in your line of work?"

I shrugged. "I get to see her for a day or two before the reaping for the Hunger Games and I get to see her for three weeks every two months."

"Three weeks doesn't seem _horrible_."

I shook my head. "The three weeks is divided in the months so I can never spend the entire three weeks back in District 4."

I noticed a light suddenly shine in Lethe's deep blue eyes. "I could help change that."

The oven timer made Lethe and I both jump. She scrambled from her chair, slipped on oven mitts and pulled the tray of brownies from the oven. I came up behind her as she started cutting the brownies into pieces and leaned against the counter beside her.

"What do you mean you can change that?"

Lethe refused to look up at me. "I just can. I know people. I have connections."

"What kind of connections?"

Lethe flipped her hair and peered up at me with narrowed eyes. "Will you let me help you?"

I really didn't see what kind of power this woman could have but I was willing to humor her. "Sure, if you want to help me, you can."

"Good," she huffed, turning back to her brownies.

I was absentmindedly watching the knife slice through the chocolate when a question struck me. "Why?"

Lethe tossed the knife into her soapy dishwater and pulled down a plate from her cupboard. "Why what?"

"Why would you help me?"

Lethe opened a drawer, pulled out a spatula and started placing brownies on the plate. "I helped you last night so why not help you again?"

"That's not good enough of an answer," I said, taking a warm brownie off the plate.

Lethe turned to survey me, hands on her hips and annoyance clear in her eyes. "There's just something about you Finnick; leave it at that. You shouldn't question good and nice things. Now, eat these brownies."

I heaved myself onto her countertop and snacked on brownies as I watched her shovel the rest into a clear container and stick the container in her freezer. She washed the brownie pan, the knife and the spatula. I ate the last brownie and passed her the plate to wash. She placed the clean dishes on a rack to dry and then took her dishcloth to wipe down the now empty sink.

"You're a clean freak," I snorted.

She shot me a glare before drying her hands on the towel again. "At least I don't vomit in alleys."

"Hey! That wasn't my fault!" I peered through her kitchen at the sun bright in the sky. "What time is it?"

"It's three in the afternoon," said Lethe, leaning on the small island across from me. "Just let me know when you want to leave."

"Are you kicking me out?" I asked teasingly, brushing chocolate crumbs off my fingers.

"Hey, you were the one who was worrying about what Annie would think."

I jumped off the counter. "Maybe I should go."

"I have a car. I can drive you back and then I'm going to send a note to President Snow."

I followed Lethe to her small entryway where there was a small closest and a rack of shoes.

"How do you send a note to Snow? He sends notes to people; people don't send notes to him."

Lethe slipped on black flats and grabbed keys off a small hook by the door. "I told you; I have connections."

"Why do you need to send him a note?" I asked.

Lethe rolled her eyes. "You ask a lot of questions. Go get your stupid shirt and I'll tell you in the car."

I trotted back to the bedroom and snatched up the neatly folded bundle of my clothes. Lethe was waiting with the door open and I followed her down the stairs to her car after she locked her apartment door.

Her car was a shiny, dark red that gleamed in the sun. I stroked the smooth paint. "A Corvette SV9?"

Lethe raised her eyebrows. "I never pegged you for a car enthusiast."

I chuckled. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Lethe unlocked the doors with a smirk. "It seems so."

The car absolutely purred when Lethe started it and pulled out into traffic. I took in the surroundings and realized that Lethe lived in the heart of the Capitol.

"You got to tell me where to go?" Lethe reminded me.

I gave her directions and she said she would be able to find it with no problem.

"So why do you need to write to Snow?" I asked.

"Can't a girl have some secrets?" Lethe teased.

"Not when it concerns Snow."

That seemed to sober her up. "I'm going to tell him that you were injured during work last night and you're unable to perform tonight. I don't know if you have a client lined up for tonight but I'm going to make sure you don't have to go to work just in case."

"Why? Then what?"

"I said I would help you and this is how I'm doing it. I'm going to pull some strings tonight and hopefully by tomorrow you'll be back in District 4 for a long visit."

I gaped. "How can you accomplish _that_?"

Lethe grinned wickedly at me. "I got power. Trust me, it'll happen either tomorrow or the day after."

The rest of the ride was silent. I was so zoned out when Lethe pulled up in front of my apartment that Lethe had to hit my arm.

"Sorry," I apologized with a grin.

"Here's your stop Mr Odair," she declared in a Capitol accent. This was the first time I realized that she didn't have the usual Capitol accent when she talked normally.

"I can't thank you enough Lethe for everything you did for me and everything you're going to do for me."

Lethe reached over, opened her glove compartment and pulled out a small notepad. She ripped off a sheet, pulled a pen out of nowhere and scribbled a number down. She handed it to me with a smile. "Here's my number. Feel free to call me when you're back in the Capitol. No pressure though. I know you have a girlfriend that you're crazy for but maybe we can be friends."

I took the paper and tucked it in my pocket. "I'd like that. Thank you so much Lethe."

I watched her drive away before I climbed up the stairs to my apartment. I had left the doors unlocked so I just slipped inside and locked it behind me. I put Lethe's number on the table by the phone, laid my folded clothes on the table and then marched off to the bathroom for a much needed shower.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

That night I received a note from President Snow that said how unfortunate it was that I was too hurt to work tonight. He said he understood it wasn't my fault per say so he would be lenient on me this once. I would be expected to be back at work tomorrow night since he had lined up a client already.

I threw the note in the trash with a grin. I was actually free for a night. I made popcorn and sat in front of my TV for a movie. It was a trashy Capitol movie that I couldn't concentrate on. My mind eventually drifted to Lethe.

She was kind of a mystery. She was definitely from the Capitol with her white smile, perfect skin and silver eyeliner alterations. But in so many ways, she didn't seem to fit in with the mold of a regular Capitol person. She was genuinely kind, she baked, she lacked the accent, she didn't dress like someone from the Capitol and the fact that silver eyeliner was her only alteration was weird for Capitol standards. It made her stick out like a sore thumb among the people with whiskers, orange hair, spidery eyelashes and diamonds embedded in their skin.

And what did she mean when she said she had connections? I didn't know if that meant that she was a Capitol official or maybe she was a Capitol official's wife. I dismissed the wife theory right away. If she was married, she would live in a house, not an apartment, with her husband and not pick up beaten men off the streets. She said she had power and connections. I was almost scared to find out what she meant by that.

I couldn't fool myself by telling myself that I wasn't attracted to her. She had saved me from an alley, nursed me back to health and fed me. She baked a mean brownie and she opened her house to me. She was actually kind just for the sake of being kind, she understood my flirtatious sense of humor, she seemed to know about my sex slave job and she didn't judge me for it and she swore that she would help me get back to District 4. It didn't hurt that she was drop dead gorgeous with her wavy golden hair, cobalt eyes and charming smile that could make a man's heart race.

I had to remind myself that I was in love with Annie and I hated that I had to remind myself. Annie was and would always be my everything. Nothing, not even a beautiful and mysterious Capitol girl, could change that.

* * *

I was awoken the next morning by hammering on my door. I jolted out of bed, quickly tied a navy blue bathrobe around myself and answered the door. I was ready to give whoever it was hell for waking me up but I froze when I saw a flustered looking Avox boy. He pressed a note into my hand and then fidgeted in the doorway as I read it.

_Mr Odair_

_It has come to my attention that you have not gone home to visit in District 4 in over four months. You will leave today at 9:00 am and stay in District 4 for a lengthy visit of a four weeks. Another note shall be sent to you in District 4 with details about your return to the Capitol. You are also granted another visit to District 4 after two weeks of your return. More details will be given once you return._

_Sincerely,_

_President Coriolanus Snow_

My first thought was that Lethe had done it. She had said she could pull some strings with her connections to get me home for a visit and she came through. My second thought was about Annie. I was finally able to see her and my family after such a long time apart.

I crumbled the note and noticed the Avox boy still standing in the doorway. "Are you supposed to help me bring my things to the train?"

The boy nodded and looked at his watch. He held up ten fingers then made a hurry motion with his hands which I figured meant that I only had ten minutes so I better hurry.

Thankfully I didn't have many personal belongings in my apartment. I grabbed a small bag, stuffed the majority of my normalist clothes inside along with my toiletries and I was packed. I quickly dressed in a grey v-shirt sweater and jeans, made my bed and closed all the blinds in my apartment.

The boy refused to let me carry my one bag so I let him carry it as I followed him down to the waiting car. The driver opened the door for me with a nod and the Avox boy passed me my bag once I was settled.

"Thank you," I said, waving to the boy before the driver shut the door.

The ride to the train station was short since my apartment was more on the outskirts of the Capitol. The train station was almost deserted except for a few peacekeepers and station workers. The driver opened my door and I climbed out with my bag.

"Thank you," I said to the driver.

"Have a nice trip Mr Odair," said the driver, nodding his head before he hopped back into his car and drove away.

A peacekeeper came forward and escorted me onto the train with a large red 4 painted on the side when he noticed that I was standing with no idea where to go.

"Here you are Mr Odair. The train will be leaving promptly and we will arrive in District 4 late tonight. Please enjoy the ride," said the peacekeepers, opening the train door for me.

I climbed the metal steps and the peacekeeper closed the door behind me. I was in the living room cart that was furnished extravagantly with plush couches, a crystal chandelier, a TV a mini bar, a glossy coffee table and a small bookshelf.

I placed my bag on a couch and slowly walked through to doors to the next cart. It was the dining room cart. There was a large mahogany table, a chandelier with rainbow crystals, a sideboard filled with pastries, another mini bar and chairs with cushioned seats.

I was fighting the memories but when I sat down at the table and saw the scratch on the otherwise smooth surface, I couldn't fight the tide of the memories of my time on this train as a tribute.

_I was fourteen, tan and muscled from working on my family's boat. The female tribute was older than me by three years but, unlike me, she wasn't a looker. She was sitting at the table in the dining room cart with our two mentors, Mags and Twill, when I walked in for breakfast. Mags was an older woman with completely grey hair and a wrinkled face while Twill was young and strong from working in District 4. Twill decided he would mentor Delly while Mags mentored me._

"_...and another way is to start a fire," said Twill, finishing whatever he had been saying before I walked in._

"_But won't I freeze?" asked Delly._

_Mags seemed zoned out while eating her oatmeal while Twill and Delly were deep in their conversation._

"_Not if you find a good enough shelter," said Twill, reaching for a piece of toast from the stack in the middle of the table._

"_What are you guys talking about?" I asked, taking a seat across from Twill._

"_He was just telling me about the quickest ways to die so I can avoid mistakes," explained Delly._

_I turned to Twill. "What are the quickest ways to die?"_

_Twill just gave me a look that made my blood boil in anger. I could obviously see that Twill had picked Delly to mentor because he figured she was his best shot to bring someone home. Twill had already counted me out._

"_What are the quickest ways to die?' I growled, narrowing my eyes._

_Twill ignored me. "Pass me the marmalade," he asked, gesturing to a dish beside my arm. When I didn't make a move to pass him the dish, he reached forward._

_With lightning speed, I grabbed my knife and stabbed it into the table wood right between Twill's index and middle finger._

_That made Mags jump and Delly screech. Twill just looked at me with simmering anger deep in his eyes. I glanced over at Mags to see if she would be mad at me for almost stabbing her fellow mentor but instead I saw her smiling at me with mischief in her eyes._

I was pulled out of my memories by the sudden starting of the train. I stroked the gash in the table I had made with a butter knife ten years ago one more time before retreating back to the living room cart.

I settled down on a couch and let the rumblings of the train speeding away from the Capitol soothe me into a deep slumber.

When I woke up, it was dark outside the windows. I sat up and felt my stomach grumble. I made my way to the sideboard in the dining room cart and grabbed a bowl of fruit to eat while I watched TV. It was showing a recap of the Hunger Games.

I was about to shut it off in disgust when I noticed that it was the 71st Hunger Games. I didn't remember much of those games since I didn't have to mentor that year. Annie didn't have to either and we had just gotten together so we spent the time I was away from the Capitol constantly together, swimming in the ocean, climbing the rocky shores, exploring the coves and just relaxing on the beach.

The only thing I remember from that year was that there wasn't a Victor. It had been a first for the games but the girl who had won had died from her injuries that the Capitol doctors couldn't even heal when they pulled her from the arena. Her injuries had been some of the worst I had ever seen so I hadn't been surprised when President Snow announced that she didn't survive her surgeries.

I watched her on the screen now. It was kind of eerie watching this while knowing everyone on the screen was dead. I felt kind of sorry for the girl that was supposed to be the Victor as I watched her wrestle a red-haired boy who was trying to stab her onto the ground. She managed to pull a knife out of her boot and stab the boy in the heart. It was a shame that she was fighting so hard to live through the games and she would die anyway right on the pinnacle of freedom.

Looking at her, I realized she probably would never have gotten her freedom. Snow would have recruited her services so she was probably better off dead anyway.

I hastily shut off the TV before I could brood more on the unfortunate Victor. I had enough nightmares about my own games. I didn't need to be having nightmares about this unlucky girl who I didn't even know the name of.

I entertained myself with a book until I felt the train start to slow. Nerves attacked me as I set the book back in its shelf.

How would Annie react? What would my family say? What if they ask why I haven't been back for four months? What if they wonder how I managed to procure a visit? Did they even know I was coming back for a visit? Would they be waiting for me at the train station?

I pressed my hands to the window and tried to see through the darkness outside. I could make out the lighthouse in the distance on a rocky overhang and I could see the dim lamps of station workers bobbing around outside as the train pulled to a stop.

The door opened behind me and I whirled around excitedly. A peacekeeper pulled down the stairs for me. "Mr Odair."

I grabbed my bag and dashed out of the stifling train. The smell of the salty ocean assaulted me as I took in a deep breath. I hadn't realized how much I had missed this land in the months I had been away.

No one was there to greet me except station workers so I guessed my family and Annie weren't told about my arrival. I hoisted my bag on my shoulder and trudged the familiar path down from the train station to my home I shared with Annie in Victors Village. I figured I would just go and surprise my family tomorrow morning.

Victors Village was the cluster of magnificent houses farthest away from the docks. It had its own secluded beach only for the use of Victors. Annie and I spent a lot of time just frolicking around on that beach.

The pavement got more and more sandy the closer I marched to Victors Village. I finally reached my house and I stopped to take in its frame. It was a two story sandstone and glass structure with pretty purple flower bushes on either side of pavement walkway. Inside was filled with extravagant chandeliers, glass doorknobs, fireplaces, balconies and pillars.

I wiped my boots on the rug on the porch and then let myself in with the key hidden in the eaves. The door was silent as I closed it and locked it behind me. I soundlessly kicked off my boots and started creeping to the kitchen to try and surprise Annie. I froze before the doorway when I heard voices floating out of the kitchen.

"...hasn't been home in four months."

I recognized that voice as belonging to my mother, Seela.

What were the chances that they were talking about me? And on the day I came home. Another thought struck me. Why were my parents at my house?

"That isn't his fault," Annie argued weakly. My heart spread with warmth at the sound of Annie's gentle voice.

"How is it not his fault? He chooses not to come home," my mom shot back.

"Unless there's something you're not telling us," pressed my dad, Tad.

"Like what?" asked Annie. I could tell by her tone of voice that she was getting angry.

I decided to step in and diffuse the tension. "Hey!" I bellowed, striding into the kitchen with a wide grin and dropping my bag at my feet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

"FINNICK!" Annie screeched before throwing herself into my arms. I wrapped my arms tightly around her and buried my face in her hair. She smelled of the sea and I breathed it in as I felt Annie shaking in my arms. I rubbed her back and pretty soon she was sobbing uncontrollably against my chest.

"Shh, I'm right here Annie. It's going to be alright," I cooed, stroking her hair.

"I thought...you...were never...coming...back home," she sobbed, beating her fists against my chest gently to enunciate her point.

"I'm here now Annie. I'm here now."

It took a few minutes to calm Annie down enough that I could let her go. I sat her in a chair and passed her a handful of tissues since she was still sniffling. Once Annie was settled, I turned to my parents.

Tears were in my mother's eyes as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "We didn't know if you'd ever come home," she croaked out, stroking my bronze hair.

"I'm home now mother."

"For good?" asked my father hopefully. We didn't usually do the body contact thing so he just clapped me heartily on the shoulder.

My parents didn't know about my deal with President Snow. Snow hadn't exactly forbidden me from telling them but I figured that the lie that I was a popular attraction in the Capitol with my fishing skills was safer for them to believe than the truth. Only Annie and everyone in the Capitol knew what I did. I was hoping to never have the truth about what I do surface in the districts.

I shook my head. "For a month. I have to go back for some more shows for two weeks and then I get to come back for another week."

"You're not here to stay!?" wailed Annie, angrily swiping tears from her cheeks.

Even crying, Annie was beautiful. With her flowing, dark brown hair and dark green eyes like emeralds, President Snow had wanted her to be a sex slave like me. The only thing that had saved her was the fact that she became unbalanced mentally during her games when her district partner was beheaded in front of her. Everyone called her insane and since the Capitol people were uneasy around her, Snow had no choice but to send her back to District 4.

I knelt in front of her chair and took her hands. "I'm so sorry Annie. President Snow has me booked solid and it took a lot of connections to pull this visit. But I'm here for a month! That's a whole month we can just spend time together."

"We'll come see you tomorrow morning son," my mom whispered, pressing a kiss to my hair. I looked back at them and smiled.

"Sorry," I mouthed, never letting go of Annie's hands.

My father clapped me on the shoulder again and then he and my mother left Annie and I alone in the house. They lived up in town with the rest of the district since Victor Village was only for the Hunger Games winners.

"Come on Annie, let's get you to bed," I murmured, wrapping an arm behind her knees. I picked her up bridal style and she wound her arms around my neck and buried her fingers in my hair.

I carried her up the stairs, into our bedroom and deposited her gently on our bed. She was still crying.

"Shh Annie," I cooed, sitting beside her on the bed and wiping away a tear with my thumb. Her lip trembled as she batted her watery lashes at me. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers hungrily.

She responded fiercely. She laced her fingers in my hair to prevent me from breaking the kiss while I brought up one of my hands to rest on her cheek. The other was entangled in her hair at the nape of her neck.

She opened her lips against mine; an open invitation. I slipped my tongue into her mouth and I felt her shiver delicately in my arms. She moaned was I moved my hand on her cheek down, stroking down her body and I let my hand wander under her shirt until my palm was pressed against her bare skin.

We somehow managed to fall back on the bed together, our kiss broken as Annie rested her head half on my shoulder and half on my chest. Our heated kissing had left me with an erection that I wanted to cure but I didn't want to pressure Annie the first night I was home in four months.

Annie surprised me when she shifted, purposely brushing her thigh against my erection. I had to bite back a groan when Annie turned her lips to start nipping at my collarbone. I shifted my head to look at her and I almost laughed when I saw that she was teasing me purposely.

She trailed her hands down my torso, hooked the end of my shirt and yanked it up. I pulled my arms from around her to toss the shirt to the floor. Before she could put her hands back on me, I grabbed the end of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head as gently as I could.

Her eyes were glittering in the light as she moved herself to straddle me. She leaned down and started brushing frantic kisses everywhere she could reach, starting with my eyes. She moved lower and nipped at my lower lip, grazed her teeth over my jaw, licked my collarbone. Every time she moved, her silky hair would caress my skin with a feathery touch.

My eyes closed in ecstasy when she brushed kisses along my chest and sucked my left nipple into her mouth. I gasped when she barred her teeth and gently tugged. My breathing was ragged and my pulse was racing.

I felt kind of horrible that Annie was taking control and giving me unbearable pleasure. I hadn't been home for four months so shouldn't I be the one giving Annie the unbearable pleasure, not the other way around? I wasn't a selfish lover so shouldn't I be the one pleasuring Annie without any thought of my own?

I was broken out of my thoughts by the feelings of gentle caresses against the bulge in my jeans. I looked down to see Annie perched between my legs, her fingers expertly massaging my erection.

"Do you need help with your jeans Finn?" she asked, a small smile lighting up her face.

"Only if I can help you with yours," I groaned out. I sat up, wrapped my hands around her hips and flipped her so I hovered over her. I undid the buttons on her jeans and slowly shimmied them down her legs and threw them on the floor.

Annie pressed on my chest with her splayed fingers until I sat up and she followed. She moved in front of me and pressed my back down on the bed. She kissed me deeply on the lips and then trailed down my body, licking and blowing on the wet spot as she went.

Her hands quickly reached down and undid my jeans. In one swift yank, she had them bunched around my ankles. She tossed them onto the floor and went back to her licking and blowing.

She was getting closer and closer to my erection. She stuck her fingers in the waistband of my undergarments and tugged them down, freeing my member. She pulled my undergarments off and threw them away to join her jeans on the floor.

Annie's hand closed around my member as her hair brushed my stomach and abdomen. My breath quickened as I felt her lick my tip. I threaded my fingers in her silky hair, clenched the thick blanket on the bed with my other fist and arched my back in rapture as Annie took me in her mouth.

"Stop Annie," I growled as she sucked harder. I pushed her away gently and flipped her so she was under me.

I hooked my fingers in her panties and dragged them down her legs. She hooked her legs around my waist, draped her arms around my neck and leaned forward to press a heated kiss to my lips. One hand held me up while the other skimmed across her back. I found her bra strap and I unclasped the hook with a practiced flick of my wrist. I laid Annie back down and pulled her free from the bra.

"Finnick," she whined. She writhed under me as I kissed a trail from her lips down to her collarbone. I was going to keep going when she grasped my face in her hands and forced me to look into her eyes. "I need you now."

That was all the invitation I need as I rocked my hips forward and buried myself in Annie's warmth. She moaned as I started a slow rhythm. Annie dragged her lips up to mine and our tongues danced together as Annie moved her hips to meet my thrusts.

I started moving faster. I felt Annie's walls clenching around me and then she exploded, my name ripped from her throat in a moan. My name on her lips laced with that much pleasure was my undoing as I growled Annie's name in my release.

I pulled out and settled down on the bed, Annie in my arms with her head on my chest and a blanket enveloping us in a warm embrace.

"I'm so glad your home Finn," Annie whispered against my chest.

* * *

The next morning I woke up to an empty bed. The bedroom door was open and I could hear humming drifting up the stairs. I smiled as I sat up. Annie must be in a really good mood with my return to hum.

I crawled out of bed and hopped in the shower. I washed quickly and then came out wrapped only in a towel. I ignored my bag Annie had left on the armchair by the window and instead went to dig in the closet for my clothes that I hadn't brought to the Capitol. I dressed in light blue jeans with rips in the knees, a white t-shirt and I ignored socks. I planned on walking on the beach and I wanted to feel the sand between my toes. I hastily patted my bracelet dry and then trotted down the stairs.

It was a plain braided bracelet made out of soft and worn brown leather that Annie had given me for my district token when I was reaped for my games. It had been braided by her mother and she had given it to Annie but Annie stubbornly made me take the bracelet. It had never left my wrist since Annie had given it to me, even though I tried giving it back to her when I had came home after my win.

"Morning Annie," I said, coming into the kitchen and pressing a kiss to her temple.

Annie was at the stove, humming as she cooked breakfast. She was making all my favorites; pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs and bacon.

She was barefoot, dressed only in a long, dark green billowy skirt and a loose black tank top. Her hair was braided in a single braid down her back and but bangs kept falling in her eyes.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asked with a smirk.

I lightly chucked her under the chin and turned to dig in the fridge for juice. "Magnificently."

"Your parents called. They'll be here around noon," said Annie, flipping a pancake.

I pulled a carton of orange juice from the fridge, grabbed a glass down from the cupboards and poured myself a full glass. "What time is it?"

Annie glanced at the clock on the stove. "It's only ten."

I understood why Annie was labeled crazy but whenever she was with me, she was just like the girl I had met before the arena changed her. Before her games, she was shy but she was sweet, and funny and she was talkative. The arena stole her innocence. Now she usually lived in her own world in her head where only I could reach her. She only talked to people she knew but even then the conversations were stilted with her laughing at odd times and staring into space. When she was with me, it was like the arena had never happened but she reverted back into herself when other people were present. It broke my heart but the arena had changed all us Victors in different ways.

"I bet Marina and Cray will come with my parents," I said, sticking the juice back in the fridge. "They'll probably bring Briny and Seaton too."

Marina was my sister and Cray was her husband. Briny and Seaton were their two kids; my niece and nephew.

"Your parents probably called her this morning and knowing Marina, she'll come charging over here way before noon."

"Is that why you're making such a big breakfast?" I asked, leaning against the counter and taking a sip of juice.

Annie smiled at me as she flipped another pancake. "You know me so well."

I gently tousled her hair and then set the table for five people. Seaton wasn't old enough to have his own place setting but Briny would insist that she was big enough to sit with the adults.

Just as Annie was placing all the steaming food on the table, the front door burst open and Marina marched into the kitchen followed closely with Cray clutching their two children.

"Finnick," she murmured, marching straight to me and wrapping her arms around my neck. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her back. She eventually pulled away but kept her hands clasped on my cheeks. "I missed you little brother."

"I missed you too," I said, grinning at her. She finally let me go and took Seaton from Cray's arms. Cray shook my hand with a grin but it was Briny struggling in his arms that had my attention.

"Uncle Finn!" she cried, trying to grab for me. Briny was six but she already had a strong personality, just like her mother.

"Hey little mermaid," I chuckled, taking her out of Cray's arms and resting her on my hip.

"Where'd you been?"

"I've been working but I'm back for a long visit," I explained, sitting down at the table and settling Briny on my lap.

She was instantly sidetracked by the food and insisted to her mother that she get her own seat. Marina sighed but settled Briny in the seat right next to mine.

"Are you sure it's okay that we eat your food?" Marina asked Annie. Annie smiled and nodded, taking the seat on my other side. I tenderly squeezed her hand to offer her a small amount of comfort.

"Why do you think she made all this food," I chuckled, reaching forward to start serving myself.

All during breakfast I let Marina dominate the conversation. She caught me up in the happenings of District 4 and the latest news of the families fishing business.

"Oh, and we've had to do a lot of repairs," said Marina, finishing her story about one of our families boats running into some rocks during a mild storm.

I finished my last bite of bacon and pushed my plate away. "Have you heard from Mags recently?"

Mags was like a part of my family after we came back home after my games. She joined us for all our gatherings and she often came to me and Annie's place for meals. Even though she wasn't fighting to keep me alive anymore, I still looked to her for advice and guidance when I needed it most. In a way, she was still my mentor.

"I ran into her at the store last week. There wasn't much new with her," said Cray, trying to get Seaton to eat a small piece of pancake.

"I don't think mother told her you were back yet," said Marina.

"I'll call her right now. She'll like hearing it from me," I said, jumping up and walking to the phone near the back patio door.

I dialed her familiar number and waited with baited breath as it rung. Finally on the sixth ring she picked up.

"Hello?" The voice was croaky and familiar and I felt a rush of joy.

"Mags, it's me Finnick."

There was silence on the other line. I counted to fifty in my head before I heard Mags starting to laugh. "I'll be over."

Mags hung up without another word and I was left grinning at the phone in my hand in amusement.

"What did she say?" asked Marina as I came back to the table.

I laughed. "She hung up on me."

"Angry?" asked Annie, a frown creasing her brow.

I leaned down and kissed the furrow in her forehead. "No. She's just being Mags. She'll be over here right away."

True to her word, Mags bustled inside without knocking not even five minutes later. In the months I had been away she had adopted the use of a cane but she still looked just like the Mags I loved.

"Finnick." She only had to say my name and I was in her arms, just like when I was fourteen. I had to stoop down but her arms still had strength as she held onto my back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

When I was finally able to let go of Mags, I cleared away my dishes and set a clean plate for her at the table. She sat down and promptly started eating without another word to me or anyone else. I took Briny's seat and let her sit on my lap as she finished eating. She didn't throw a fuss at having to sit on my lap so I took that as testimony for how much she missed her uncle.

"Can we go for a walk on the beach and talk?" asked Marina, gesturing between me and her.

Annie looked at me with a frown. "I want to stay with Finnick."

"I stay...with kids," announced Mags suddenly. "Your four...walk."

"I've barely seen you Mags. You sure?" I asked.

Mags nodded. "You need...catch up."

I sat Briny down on her chair and kneeled beside me. "You be good for Mags, okay little mermaid?"

"I'm a good girl. Seaton's a good boy too," announced Briny proudly.

I rumpled her hair, took Annie's hand and walked out the patio door behind Marina and Cray.

"Are you sure the kids will be okay with Mags?" asked Cray, looking through the glass doors on the patio at the kids.

"Mags is more than capable," I said. I stepped down onto the sand and just took a second to enjoy the feeling. I had missed the feeling of the little grains of rough sand against bare feet.

The ocean wind whipped Annie's skirt around her legs as we walked hand-in-hand beside Marina and Cray.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, glancing at Marina.

"I didn't want to sound accusatory in front of Briny since she's so excited you're home but I have to ask; why are you home?"

"Do you not want me home?" I asked.

"You know it's not like that," protested Marina. "It's just; you haven't been home in four months Finnick. _Four months_. Why are you allowed home _now_?"

"You know I have a job Marina."

"You said when you first started that you'd get a total of twenty-one days home to visit divided among two months," huffed Marina. "You've had that job since you were seventeen and for most part, you've been good with coming home to visit. But lately, you've been coming home less and less."

"You think I have a choice when I come home?" I asked angrily. "If I could, I would never go back to the Capitol."

I instantly realized my mistake when Marina and Cray both shot me a quizzical look.

"Can't you just quit and stay here?" asked Cray.

I ran my free hand through my hair. "Look, I was just angry. I like my job over there." The lie burned my throat as it spilled out of my mouth. I felt Annie start rubbing circles with her thumb on my hand.

"But you don't get a choice when you come home?" asked Marina.

I shrugged. "I don't make my hours. Sure, I'd love to have time to come here more but my hours are crazy."

"Then why are you allowed back here for a month now if you usually can't even be spared for a couple of days?" asked Cray.

Cray was all common sense and I had never wanted to kick him more than in that moment. I didn't want to explain Lethe and what she did for me to them. "They realized I hadn't been home in a long time so they gave me a month's leave."

"Whenever you talk about your boss you always say 'they.' Who's they? Who's your boss?" asked Cray.

"And tell us the truth," barked Marina. "No making up some funny sounding Capitol name."

"Really, you wouldn't know if I was making it up or not," I pointed out.

"Finnick," warned Marina.

I chuckled darkly. "I work for the president himself."

"No!" gasped Marina. "Really?!"

"Yeah, really."

"And how is that?"

I shrugged. "He's okay."

I suddenly heard loud giggling coming from behind us and I twisted around to see Briny running towards us. Mags was sitting on the patio steps in the distance with Seaton playing at her feet with handfuls of sand.

Good old Mags unknowingly came to my rescue. Marina had been digging deeper than I wanted her to and I was thankful for the distraction of my niece and nephew.

Cray took off running to meet Briny and swept her up in his arms in a swirl of shrieks of laughter and sand. I turned to Marina before she could also walk away.

"Annie and I are going to go for a walk. We'll be back soon."

Marina nodded. "Okay but be back before mom and dad come. They missed you."

Marina turned around to join Cray and Briny while Annie and I strolled the opposite way.

* * *

After a pleasant dinner with my entire family, we spent the afternoon on the beach together. Cray and my dad mostly occupied the kids while Marina and mother caught me up on all the gossip and everything I had missed in town during my absence. Annie and Mags spent the majority of the afternoon sitting together, having stilted conversations. After me, Mags was the next best person for Annie to talk to.

It was starting to get dark when everyone started to leave. We had retired to the house for cool drinks when the kids started complaining about the heat so when my mother said it was time to go, everyone trouped off to the front door.

"See you tomorrow?" asked Marina as I hugged her goodbye.

"Oh, I can't believe I didn't tell you," said my mom, clapping her hands together. "We're having a bonfire tomorrow night in honor of your return and the whole district is invited."

I groaned. "Please tell me it's not on this private beach. I don't want Annie cooking for the _entire_ district."

"No, it's going to be at the big beach wherever everyone else goes to swim," explained my mother.

"I wished you hadn't gone to so much trouble but thank you anyways," I said as I pulled my mother into a hug.

I shook hands with Cray and my father, hugged Mags, ruffled Briny's hair and chucked Seaton under the chin and then they were all gone out the door.

"Sorry we didn't get much private time today," I said as I followed Annie up the stairs after locking the door.

"It's okay. You needed to see your family."

"Tomorrow, we'll spend all afternoon in bed," I vowed.

"Is that a promise?" asked Annie with a smirk.

I made a crossing motion on my chest, over my heart. "Cross my heart Annie."

Annie turned off the hall lights and we retreated to our bedroom. I changed into lounger pants and Annie slipped on an oversized t-shirt of mine.

"Do you usually sleep in my shirts?" I asked, throwing the blankets over us.

"When you're gone, I do it so it feels like you're closer," she murmured. Her head was on my chest and my arms were wrapped around her.

"Oh Annie," I whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair.

"Finnick, can you just hold me tonight?" she asked in a quiet voice.

My arms tightened around her. "Of course. I love you Annie."

"And I love you Finnick."

* * *

"I can't believe Rueben married Rayna."

I had kept my promise and Annie and I had spent the majority of the day wrapped in each other's arms in bed. We were lying side by side with her head on my arm, just talking about everyday things, when the phone ringing downstairs startled us.

"You stay here, I'll answer it. It's probably Mags," I said, hopping out of bed. I took a moment to grin at a dishevelled Annie sprawled in bed before I bolted down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Finnick?"

The voice on the other line was definitely not Mags. It took me by so much surprise that I had to sink into a kitchen chair. "Lethe?"

"Finnick, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

Her voice sounded uneasy. "Umm...hi."

I broke out of my stupor and started to laugh. "Hey. How are you?"

At the sound of my voice returning to normal, her voice became perkier. "I'm good. I was just calling to see if you got to District 4 okay."

"Yeah, I've been here a day already."

"Is it nice seeing your family?"

"It's better than you'd believe."

She chuckled. "That's what I was aiming for when I got you this trip."

I leaned forward and started playing with a loose string on my lounger pants. "I've been meaning to ask you how you even got me this trip home."

"That's a conversation best not to have on the phone."

"Then answer me this. How did you get my number?"

Her voice became anxious again. "Oh, did you not want me calling? I mean, I know calling you in District 4 is kind of intrusive but I didn't think you'd mind."

"I don't mind at all. Sorry if I sounded annoyed."

"It's okay," she laughed.

"I was just wondering how you got my number. I mean, I've never given it out to anyone in the Capitol and of course Snow knows it but he's never used it."

"Well actually, Snow is who I got it from."

I was dumbfounded. "What!? How?"

"It's a long story and another conversation we shouldn't have on the phone."

"You're full of mysteries. Did you know that?"

"Well how else am I supposed to entice men?"

"Are you trying to entice me?"

"Nah, you're just my test subject."

I laughed. "So how have you been?"

"I called to talk about you, not me."

"So what do you want to know?"

"I was just making sure you got in okay and that you were having a good time with your family."

"I had zero problems getting in and being back with everyone is amazing."

Her voice sounded distant as she spoke to someone in the background and then she came back on. "I should go. I'm sorry for disturbing you. I won't call again."

"No," I protested. "I like hearing from you. Call me again?"

"If you want," she agreed hesitantly.

"Friends phone each other right?"

She chuckled. "Yes they do. I'll call you tomorrow night."

"Talk to you tomorrow friend," I cheered enthusiastically.

She burst out laughing and hung up the phone without another word. I smiled at the phone before I put it back on the hook.

"Who was it?" asked Annie as I crawled back in bed.

I didn't want to tell Annie about Lethe. I felt horrible because I had never kept anything from Annie but I couldn't imagine the conversation going well. Annie would understand that Lethe probably saved my life in that alley but she wouldn't be supportive of any friendship with any girl as gorgeous as Lethe. No girl would, no matter how sensible.

"It was just someone from the Capitol wanting to make sure I got in alright."

Annie turned until her body was curled against my side. "That was a long conversation."

"He kept asking questions about the train service and everything."

"I hate the Capitol," Annie murmured, laying her hand on my chest above my heart.

"I've met a few truly good people but most of the time, the people are horrid."

"Does it bother you?" asked Annie. "Lying to the rest of your family I mean."

"Lying?" I questioned.

"Well not telling them what you really do in the Capitol."

I sighed. "Yeah I get tired of it but I don't have any other choice."

Annie unexpectedly sat up, pressing her palms against my bare chest. "But you do have a choice."

"They wouldn't react well Annie," I said, running a hand through my hair. "They'd think less of me if I told them what I do and I couldn't stand it if I lost their respect."

Annie collapsed against my side again. "You're losing their respect as it is. They know you're not just putting on fishing shows in the Capitol but it's easier to accept the lie than to believe that you're actually lying to them. But they do know you're lying straight to their faces Finnick."

"I can't tell them what I do Annie. I can't have it spread through the district," I said.

Annie sighed and I felt her breath against my skin. "Have it your way Finn."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

That night the bonfire party was in full swing. There was a heavy supply of alcohol and different kinds of seafood to eat. The majority of the district turned out for the event and I got many hugs and handshakes from people glad I was back for visit.

"Glad to see you again Finnick."

"Good to see you Finnick."

"About time you came for a visit Finnick."

"You've been gone awhile Finnick."

"So happy you're back Finnick."

"You have to have supper with our family before you leave again Finnick."

"We all missed you Finnick."

Annie was off talking with Mags and Marina so I grabbed a bottle of beer from a bucket of ice and settled in front of the huge fire. There was no one else huddled around it. I was glad I finally found a moment of alone time as I took a swig of beer.

I felt almost alienated from my district. All their problems were about the fishing harvest while my mind was occupied with worrying that I'll make one misstep and my family will be pulled from me forever. This was a rare chance for them to have some time off while I hated having this free time to let my mind wander.

I suddenly wished Lethe was here. She'd feel just as uncomfortable as me with all these people. We'd keep each other company and she might even laugh at how worried everyone was about fishing.

I shook myself in shock. Had I become so Capitol-ized that I was making jokes about my own people and their worries? Of course they'd be worried about the fish since that was our main industry. We had a certain quota we had to fill for the Capitol per month and if it wasn't filled the Capitol shorted us on our monthly deliveries of rations.

I couldn't make myself believe that Lethe would be so cruel as to laugh at their worries too. She may be Capitol but she was a different kind of Capitol woman than I had ever came into contact with before. I had barely known her a day but she seemed the type to be sympathetic to the districts and their problems.

Taking the last sip of my beer, I stood up and tossed the bottle in the sand. I made sure no one was paying particular attention to me before I slipped away into the shadows, away from the party. I walked until I reached the thin line of tress that circled the beach on either side. I walked along the outskirts of the bushes until I was walking behind houses in town. I found the path in the bushes that I had been looking for in a large gap between two houses.

I made it all the way up to the lighthouse despite the salty wind constantly trying to blow me back down. I sat right on the edge of the overhang, my feet dangling over the lapping ocean. In the distant to my far left I could make out the bonfire and shadows of people milling about. One of them was Annie and I didn't want to affect her with my somber mood.

It didn't make sense why I was so dejected. I was home in my district with Annie and Mags and my family. I was surrounded by people that were happy I was home. I should be overjoyed. I think the problem was that I knew that this would all come to an end so soon. This happiness I felt balloon inside me when I was with my family would too soon deflate. This bliss wouldn't last.

I mentally kicked myself. Lethe probably jumped through some difficult hoops to get me this little break and here I was, moping about it. I should just forget that my days in district 4 were numbered and just enjoy myself in the moment with my loved ones.

With that resolve, I stood up, took one last look at the crashing waves beating against the solid rock beneath me, and turned to return to the party in my honor.

* * *

"So how are you Finnick?"

I had made sure Annie was busy visiting Mags when Lethe called. I didn't want her asking questions about who could possibly be calling me again.

"I'm good. My parents threw a bonfire party for me last night."

"And how was that?"

"Good I guess."

"You don't sound too sure. Are you sure you're good?"

I shrugged, realized Lethe couldn't see me, and felt stupid. "This trip so far as been amazing but it's going to come to an end way too soon."

Lethe sighed. "You can't think like that Finnick. I went through too much to get you this time off for you to feel sorry for yourself."

I was taken aback. "I knew you went through a lot of trouble!"

"Well I didn't mean _a lot_ of trouble."

I chuckled. "Sorry, can't take back your words."

"Either way, stop feeling sorry for yourself."

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself!" I protested.

"Yeah, you kind of are."

My shoulders slumped. "I know."

"Where's the famous Finnick Odair?"

I flinched. "I left him in the Capitol."

"Oh Finnick! I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that!"

"It's fine. I know you didn't mean it like that."

"Sometimes I'm so tactless. I guess its proof of how long I've lived in the Capitol."

"I don't think you're tactless. You're actually so unlike any other Capitol person I have ever met. No offense but you stick out like a sore thumb. You're so different."

Lethe giggled. "Different good or different bad?"

"Definitely different good. Did you know I've never met another Capitol person who bakes? I don't think I told you how good those brownies were by the way."

"If you want, when you come back, I can show you how to bake them. Or if you're more of an eater than a baker, then I can bake you some more sweets."

"I'd like that. The eating what you bake part, not the learning to bake."

Lethe laughed and I found myself laughing with her. Once we caught out breath, Lethe asked how Mags and Annie were.

"Mags? How do you know Mags?"

I could almost imagine her rolling her eyes. "Everyone knows the Victors Finnick. I just assumed you were in contact with Mags or something."

"I am but how come you aren't asking about any other Victor?"

"I always liked Mags and I know about you and Annie so..."

"Mags is good. She has to use a cane now to walk though and she kind of mumbles when she talks after she suffered a stroke two years ago."

"And Annie?"

"She's better now that I'm home. With anyone other than me, she can't really hold a steady conversation. It's stilted with her either starring into space or laughing at weird times. She retreats into her head a lot with other people. She sometimes hunches in on herself, cups her hands over her ears and fights not to scream."

"That's so horrible. I hate what the games do to Victors."

"You hate what the games do?"

"Yeah, I mean, there is Cashmere and Gloss who have to do what you do. And then there are the constant nightmares and horrid memories of the time spent in the arena. It's awful. It leads to drug addictions, alcoholism, insanity and suicide in some uncommon cases."

I frowned to myself. "How do you know all this?"

She was calm and steady when she answered. "I have a lot of ways of knowing many things."

"Another mystery!?" I complained.

She giggled. "I never said you had to try and figure them all out."

"I'd like to try and figure them all out but you won't tell me anything."

"I'll tell you what; if you don't have a client the night you come back from District 4, you come get me and we'll go for drinks. I'll answer ten of your questions truthfully no matter how intrusive or rude."

"You got yourself a deal. It's a date."

"A friendly date," agreed Lethe.

"So what's been going on in the Capitol?" I asked. Maybe I was being a dick to Annie by sending her for a visit so I could talk to Lethe but I didn't have many friends in the Capitol so I was trying to keep this one.

"Nothing much since you have only been gone two days. I went to a club last night and the night before I went to a kind of fancy party. I got to get dressed in a fancy dress and twirl about the room in the arms of a creepy guy with green skin."

I snorted. "Sounds romantic. When's the wedding?"

"If I was over there Finnick Odair I would snack you upside the head."

"Can I ask you what a club is like in the Capitol? Of course I know all about them but I've just never been to one.

Her voice sounded nonchalant. "There're pretty bad if you hate who you're with but usually they can be really fun. Sweaty bodies grinding together, loud music that rattles your bones, bars that keep slipping pretty ladies free drinks and private rooms where people can do the dirty is basically what the clubs in the Capitol are like. I almost forgot the smoke machines and strobe lights. Now those are the best part."

"Let's go to the club together when I come back."

"Finnick!" she cried. "We haven't even been on a first date and you're already asking me out on a second! I'm scandalized!"

I doubled over, clucking my stomach in laughter. When I calmed down, I was breathless. "I guess I am."

"Well then I accept. I should give you heads up that I do not have sex on the first date."

"Good, because Annie would have your head."

"I wouldn't want to fight Annie. I mean, she's a Victor!"

"Speaking of Annie, I have to go," I said. I had seen Annie through the window crossing the street from Mags house. "Can I have your number again so we don't have to set aside times for you to call."

"Don't you have it?"

"I didn't think I would need it here so I left it in my apartment in the Capitol."

Lethe recited her number and I scribbled it down on a scrap of paper. I tucked the paper away safely in my back pocket.

"I'll call you soon. Definitely before the end of the week," I said.

"Okay, bye Finnick. Remember, don't feel sorry for yourself and enjoy this time."

"I will. Thanks Lethe."

I had just hung up the phone and made it halfway up the stairs before Annie came in, pushing her hair out of her face in the wind.

"Oh, hey Finn."

"How was your visit with Mags?"

"Good. We just had some tea and talked," said Annie, locking the door behind her. "What did you do while I was gone?"

"I wandered around the house mostly. I'm not used to this free time."

"You should come with me next time. I know Mags would love to catch up more with you."

I nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll come next time."

I knew I was lying and hated it. Next time Annie went someplace for a visit, I knew I would be right back on the phone with Lethe.

**A month later**

"I can't believe you leave tomorrow," moaned Annie. As my departure date loomed closer and closer Annie became more and more desolate.

"I'll be back in two weeks Annie," I said, folding a shirt and putting it in my bag.

Annie got up from the end of the bed reluctantly and started helping me by gathering my clothes.

"Do you want to bring these pants?" asked Annie, holding up two pairs of jeans.

"Ah, yeah. Both pairs please." I went into the bathroom to gather my toiletries and when I came back in the room, Annie was standing with my jeans at her feet and a paper clutched in her hands.

Lethe's phone number.

Annie's voice was eerily calm. "Finnick? Who is Lethe and why do you have her number? And in your jeans no less."

I knew the time had come, no matter how Annie would be, to finally tell her the truth. "Annie, Lethe is my friend in the Capitol."

Annie's eyebrows shot up. "Friend? No offense but since when so you have friends in the Capitol? You're the one always saying that the only reason you're in the Capitol is because Snow wants you there so why bother making friends."

"I became friends with her only recently."

"But obviously you two are good enough friends to constantly call each other. Is that why you never came with me when I went for visits? You called her while I was gone?"

"Yes but it's not like you think. I didn't think you'd approve of her."

"I would have been fine if you had just told me right off the bat that you made friends with this girl instead of lying about her to me! I don't care as much that your friends with her so much as that you lied to me!"

I ran my fingers through my hair. "I didn't mean too Annie. I just didn't know how to bring it up."

"So instead you just hide her number and call her whenever I'm not home!?"

"She's just my friend Annie!"

"How do you know her if you only met her recently?"

"She rescued me from an alley, brought me to her apartment and treated my wounds."

The fact that Lethe saved me from hypothermia in an alley completely flew over Annie's head. She didn't even wonder what I was doing in an alley. "So she brings you to her apartment?! I wonder why!? I mean, it's not like she was hoping to get something from the famous Finnick Odair. Heaven forbid if she brings you to a hospital!" ranted Annie.

I was starting to get angry. "She didn't ask for anything in return! She's actually just a nice person!"

Annie snorted. "Yeah because the people in the Capitol are _so_ nice."

"She's different than other people I've met in the Capitol!"

"So you have to go behind my back to talk to her!?"

"She's the one who got me this month away from the Capitol!" I raged.

"I don't care what she's done for you Finnick! You went behind my back and lied to me!"

I ran my hand through my hair again angrily and sat on the end of the bed. "This is my last night here for two weeks. You really want to keep fighting about this?"

"Yes!" yelled Annie. "You're being a dick, Finnick!"

"Then it's a good thing for you that I'm leaving tomorrow! Now you have two Finnick free weeks!"

"So what now, you're going to go back to the Capitol and fuck Lethe's brains out!?"

"Don't be so vulgar Annie!" I roared. "Lethe is just my friend and nothing more! I only love you."

"Bullshit Finnick!"

"You know what?" I asked, grabbing fistfuls of my clothes and stuffing them in my bag. "I'm going to stay at Mags place tonight."

I hoisted my packed bag onto my shoulder and started for the door.

"You can't just leave in the middle of a fight Finnick! I forbid you! It's childish!" yelled Annie.

I chuckled darkly. "You forbid me? Stop being such a fucking child Annie."

With those cruel words, I stormed outside and across the street to Mags house.

"Can I stay here tonight?" I asked when Mags finally hobbled to the door.

I loved Mags and Mags loved me and it was proof of our understanding of each other that she let me sleep on her couch with zero questions or comments.

The next morning I got up and dressed early so I could return to my house. My family was coming to say goodbye and I didn't want them to know things were amiss with Annie and me. I let myself inside with the spare key, dropped my bags at the door and crept up to the bedroom to do damage control.

Annie was still sleeping and I was hesitant to wake her. I was about to reach a hand out to gently shake her when I spotted a scrap of paper sitting on my dresser. It was Lethe's number. I grabbed it, shredded it into little bits and stuffed it in the fireplace in the living room. I didn't want Annie getting any ideas and trying to call the number.

Instead of waking Annie, I busied myself by making myself oatmeal and toast for breakfast. I had just finished eating when Annie walked in dressed in jeans and loose tank top. She just shot me the most evil glare before burying her head in the fridge.

"Annie, can we talk?" I asked, pushing away my bowl and plate.

"Don't start with me Finnick," Annie warned, pulling a jug of milk from the fridge.

"I leave in half an hour. I don't want to leave like this."

"Then you should have thought about that before you lied!" she yelled. "I thought I could trust you."

"You can trust me Annie."

Annie laughed mirthlessly. "You showed me that I obviously can't."

Why couldn't she understand that nothing was between me and Lethe? Was it so hard for her to believe me after she heard all about my Capitol reputation? She should know, more than anyone, how false that reputation was. Was her distrust of the Capitol so strong that she couldn't trust my words anymore? I know I had lied but couldn't she get it through her thick skull that I simply did it because I didn't know how she would react to Lethe.

I was about to argue some more when my family burst through the door.

"Oh Finnick," cried my mother, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I'm going to miss you so much."

I turned my attention from Annie to my mother. "I'll be back in two weeks."

"Only for a week this time though," sobbed my mother. I felt my neck starting to get wet with her tears and my father had to unwrap her arms from around me.

I made my rounds of goodbye while Annie moved around in the background, preparing herself breakfast. I bet my parents thought that she was just so distraught at my leaving that she was just trying to keep herself busy.

I gave Briny a kiss on each cheek, tousled Seaton's baby fine hair, shook hands with Cray and my father and hugged both Marina and Mags for long intervals.

"Well," I said, dropping my dishes in the sink and retreating to the doorway. "I have to make my train."

"We'll give you two privacy to say goodbye," said Marina, gesturing between Annie and I.

I didn't think Annie would come but I think she didn't want to make a scene in front of my family. Annie and I stood in the doorway awkwardly while everyone else stayed in the kitchen.

"So I'll see you in a week," I said. I was mad but I was trying to act civil.

"I don't care if you don't come back," Annie whispered harshly.

My rage started to boil again. "Calm down Annie. Quit being so fucking childish!"

"Fuck you Finnick!"

I picked up my bag and rested it on my shoulder. I completely ignored Annie as I opened the door. "Goodbye! See you all in a week!" I called out.

Everyone came to stand outside on the porch and everyone waved at me except Annie as I trudged up from Victors Village to the train station. I didn't look back once.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

The bright lights of the Capitol lit my way as I disembarked from the train. A black car was waiting in the station and I figured it was mine. I was seething with anger about Annie so I was in a grumpy mood as the car navigated its way through the large city and eventually stopped in front of my apartment.

A light was flashing on my phone when I came in. I threw my bag down, picked up the phone and listened to the message. It was from Lethe.

"Umm...hey Finnick. It's me Lethe. I know your train gets in tonight and we said before that we'd go for drinks. I was just calling to remind you but if you're tired from your trip we can just go another time. Anyways, call me back and let me know if you still want to go or not. Bye."

Despite my dark mood, I felt a need to see Lethe. I dialed her number as I read it off of the paper she had first given me and she picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Finnick."

"You got my message?"

"Yeah. I don't have a letter from Snow about any clients so I'm still good for drinks if you are."

"Yeah, I'm still good. Do you know where the bar Mystic is?"

I thought about all the bars I had circulated and finally pinpointed Mystic in my mind. "Yeah, I know where that is."

"Okay, I'll meet you there in an hour."

"Okay, see you."

I showered quickly and changed into jeans and a black button down shirt. I left the collar open and rolled up my sleeves to my elbow to make the shirt more casual. I tousled my hair dry with a towel until it was artfully messy and slipped on plain black boat shoes.

Since I didn't own a car and a car was only sent for me when I had an appointment, I had to walk to Mystic. I was grateful it wasn't too far since the stares and flirty smiles that every Capitol person flashed me when I passed them on the sidewalk were getting unnerving. A few people even stopped me and asked me if I was free tonight. I put them down as gently as I could since I had to remain on good terms with them.

Mystic was a typical Capitol bar with neon lights instead of normal lights, colorful silk scarves hung everywhere and bright little tables with molded chairs strewn around the room. In the corner was a small stage for karaoke and a space in front of the stage was a makeshift dance floor.

I was early so I sat at the bar and ordered at random from the orange corkscrew haired bartender. I had finished my first drink when Lethe walked in.

She was dressed in a light blue, short and curve hugging dress. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun with little tendrils brushing her bare shoulders. She was wearing strappy silver heels and grasping a silver clutch. She looked stunning but as she drew closer to my seat, it wasn't that she looked absolutely beautiful that made me keep staring. No matter how much makeup she used to cover it, I could still see the faint brushing of darkness of a large bruise on her jaw.

"What do you think?" asked Lethe, twirling for me, oblivious to what I was actually staring at.

I shook myself. "You look absolutely gorgeous."

She shrugged and took a seat beside me. "I figured go big or go home."

When the bartender was busy missing Lethe's order, I turned to her and tapped my jaw. "What happened?"

Lethe shot me a look, a smirk on her lips. "That's one of your ten questions."

I chuckled. "I had forgotten about that."

Lethe snapped her fingers. "Damn, I shouldn't have reminded you."

Lethe grabbed her drink, took my hand and led me to a bright purple table as far away as other people as possible. I sat down and watched her as she sipped her drink.

"So?" I asked. "What happened?"

She rolled her eyes. "Can't we start with pleasant conversation before we get all truthful and heavy?"

"Sure," I laughed. "How are you?"

She smiled. "In awe. I'm out with the famous Finnick Odair for free. I'm sure everyone here is eating themselves with jealousy."

"How do you know that they know you're out with me for free? They could just assume you paid for me."

"Trust me; they know I'm out with you for free."

"So how has the lovely Capitol been since I've been gone?"

"Good...Finnick, can I be honest with you?"

I frowned. "Of course."

Lethe looked a little self conscious. "I was actually hoping you would bail from our plans tonight."

"Why?"

"I knew you would ask about this," said Lethe, pointing to her jaw. "I was hoping I'd see you only after it healed."

"Okay, pleasant conversation over," I said. "What happened to your jaw? That's my first question that you have to answer hundred percent truthfully."

Lethe took a deep breath to gather herself before she answered. "I was hit."

I snorted. "That's obvious so it's not the total truth."

She sighed and gave in. "I was hit by Snow."

"Snow!?" I exclaimed, incredulous.

"Yes Snow, now keep your voice down," Lethe hissed.

"Why?!"

"If I answer that that is question number two."

"Answer it Lethe. I still got eight more."

"He likes his sex rough," she mumbled, almost inaudible to my ears.

"What!? You had sex with Snow!?"

She nodded solemnly. "Multiple times."

"Why!?"

"Question number three?"

"Damn it Lethe, answer the question!"

Anger burned in her eyes. "Don't take that tone with _me_ Finnick Odair. Is that your third question?"

"Yes, now answer."

"I've had sex with him multiple times because I have too."

"Fourth question; why do you _have_ to sleep with him?"

I saw tears gather in the corner of her eyes and she hastily swiped them away. "I have to because...I'm just like you Finnick," she croaked out.

I was pretty sure I knew what she meant but I needed her to say it. "Like me how?"

She looked up from her hands and glared at me. "A sex slave."

"That's impossible," I protested. "That doesn't happen to Capitol people. Only Victors."

"There's a lot you don't know about me or the Capitol."

"So you're sold like me?" I asked.

"Question five?" she asked weakly.

I nodded.

"I sleep with the three most powerful people in Panem because I have too; President Snow himself, the Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane and the Vice-President Vamos Lockhearst. Now and then, but very rarely, Snow sells me to regular citizens."

"But you're from the Capitol! It shouldn't happen to you!" Everything I had known about the way things worked with some of the Victors and the Capitol was shaken. "How did you get into this? And yes, that's my sixth question."

Lethe peered around to make sure no one was listening before leaning forward across the table. I leaned forward too until our heads were together, our drinks long forgotten. "I'm not from the Capitol Finnick. I was born in the districts."

"What!? How? Which district?"

"That's two questions," she pointed out.

"Answer both of them and they'll be my seventh and eighth questions."

Lethe leaned even closer if possible. "Can we finish this conversation in my apartment? I don't want to speak about this in public."

I nodded and Lethe led me to her car. The ride was silent and we didn't even speak as she led me inside. I was too busy stewing over this new information about Lethe. She settled me in the living room before retreating to the kitchen. She came back with two drinks and she handed me one before sitting down in the couch across the coffee table from me.

"Well," I pressed after I took a sip of my drink.

She sighed but resolve filled her bottomless eyes. "I was a Victor in the Hunger Games."

I chuckled. "No you weren't. I was a mentor so I would have recognized you."

"I was Victor of the 71st games."

I almost spilled my drink I was starting to laugh so hard. "Everyone knows that those games didn't have a Victor."

"But they did," Lethe pressed. "And it was me."

"How it that possible?"

"Ninth question?"

"Yes, that's my ninth question."

"When I was a Tribute, Snow, Seneca and Vamos all took a shining to me. I don't know how or why but they were all obsessed. Seneca helped me as much as he could while I was in the arena so I guess those games were kind of rigged. Anyways, I was the last one surviving in the arena and I was going to be crowned Victor. But, as you know, I had sustained some bad injuries. The Capitol doctors worked a miracle though and when I was pulled out of the arena; I was nursed back to perfect health."

"And then?" I asked.

"Snow came to me the day I was supposed to be crowned Victor and told me that Seneca, Vamos and Snow himself had come up with a perfect plan to keep me to themselves. He told me that if I was crowned, I would become a sex slave for him and I would be able to travel between my district and the Capitol. But he said he, Seneca and Vamos were selfish and they wanted me all to themselves. For that to happen, he told me that he would announce my death from my injuries and I would stay in the Capitol the rest of my life, never to return to my district, so they could keep me as a kind of pet. A few people in the Capitol know who I actually am but no one in the districts knows. As far as they know, Saffra Wellwood died in the hunger games. He threatened my loved ones if I didn't agree to his plan. So that's why I haven't tried to leave or contact my family. I'm saving their lives..."

"Saffra Wellwood?"

She smiled ruefully. "That was my name before Snow changed it."

"You're real name is Saffra?! Can I call you Saffra now?"

Lethe chuckled. "No you can't. As far as anyone is concerned, Lethe Everton is my real name and it's never been changed."

There were a couple minutes of silence as I tried to process all this new information. So the 71st games did actually have a Victor and she was sitting right across from me. Snow had taken a shine to her and announced her death to Panem so he could keep her selfishly in the Capitol. He changed her name and forced her to have sex with men that were obsessed with her. He was threatening her family to keep her from trying to contact her loved ones or return to them in her district.

"You never answered my other question," I said. "What district were you from?"

Lethe refused to look at me as she answered. "District 4."

"District 4 is your home?"

Now that she mentioned it, the last name Wellwood sounded familiar. I tried to run through faces I knew in town to try and pinpoint who the Wellwood's were. I was drawing a blank but I didn't know everyone in district 4.

"Yes, I was born and raised there until I was reaped when I was seventeen."

The people I was trying to match to the name Wellwood suddenly jumped to mind. "Laken and Misty Wellwood were your parents!"

"Yes! You know them!? How are they?" Lethe asked excitedly, her questions bubbling out of her mouth.

"They're good. They grieved for a long time. They were heartbroken since they thought you were coming home. But they had another kid a couple months later. Misty had been pregnant when you were reaped. So I guess you have a little sister."

"I have a little sister!?" squealed Lethe. "What's her name? I didn't know my mother was pregnant when I left!"

I scrunched up my face as I tried to think. "Oceania I think."

"That's a pretty name," she laughed dreamily. "So Oceania must be four of five now?"

"I don't know which but she's around there yeah."

Lethe and I spent the rest of the evening, relaxing in her living room as I tried to catch her up on the four years she missed in District 4. I avoided the topic of my trip and Lethe didn't seem to notice since she was so caught up with hearing about District 4. I think she was relieved to finally tell someone outside the Capitol who she really was. I bet it was exhausting pretending to be someone she wasn't whenever people from the districts were around, which was almost constantly.

I looked at my watch and was taken aback. It was two in the morning! Lethe saw me look at my watch and she turned to look at the time on her wall clock.

"Oh wow, it's late."

I put down my empty cup and stood up. "I better go."

Lethe led me to her doorway and leaned against the wall as I slipped on my shoes. "Whenever we are both client free, we have that club date."

"I'll call you when I hear from Snow." I had a hand on the doorknob but I didn't really want to go yet. "Thank you Lethe for being honest with me. I feel like I understand you better now."

"It's a load off my shoulders to finally be honest with someone."

"I'm glad you trusted me enough to confine in me."

I turned to go but Lethe stopped me with a hand on my arm. "You still have one question."

I narrowed my eyes and surveyed her. She had promised me ten questions and she didn't want to short me. I felt like she was being honorable on her promises. I ran a hand through my hair as I tried to think of a question. My gaze drifted to her slightly parted lips and I suddenly knew what I wanted to ask.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

I couldn't stop staring at Lethe's slightly parted lips.

"Can I kiss you?"

Lethe frowned. "Kiss me?"

I stepped closer to her and rested a palm against her cheek. I took it as a good sign that she titled her head into my hand. "Yes, kiss you."

"But you have a girlfriend," she protested weakly. My famous Finnick charm must be working on her because I noticed her body was leaning towards mine.

"It's just a kiss," I murmured, wrapping my other arm around her waist and pulling her flush against me.

"Well if it's just a kiss," she replied flippantly, smirking.

I snaked the hand on her cheek to the nape of her neck and pulled out her hair tie. Her hair fell out of its messy bun and swirled around her shoulders. I tangled my fingers in its masses and dragged her lips to mine.

Her hands reached up and buried themselves in my hair, keeping me from pulling away from her. Not that I wanted too. I wanted to stand there and kiss her all night.

Our tongues crushed against each other as we fought for dominance. She tasted of mint and something sweet that I couldn't place. She moaned against my mouth and I shivered deep in my bones. She pulled back slightly and my bottom lip was clamped gently between her teeth. She smiled and crushed out lips back together. I sucked on her bottom lip and I felt her press herself harder against my body.

I had a definite hard on and I knew Lethe could feel it since our bodies were pressed flush against each other but I didn't care as I pressed my tongue into her mouth. All thoughts of Annie disappeared as I felt Lethe start to gently grind her hips into mine. It felt amazing and I didn't want her to stop but the phone ringing made us jump apart like we had been electrocuted.

Lethe's lips were kiss swollen and her cheeks were pink and I just wanted to drag her to my lips again. Instead, I stood back and let her bustle to the kitchen to answer the phone. I wondered idly who would be calling at two in the morning.

"Hello? Oh hey Cinna."

Whatever Cinna said made Lethe laugh.

"You are so drunk. I'll call you tomorrow when you're sober."

Lethe hung up and came back to door. She blushed looking at me but she seemed calm enough. I knew my erection was clearly evident now but I didn't care if she saw it since she was the one that gave me it.

"So, you'll call me when you get a note from Snow," Lethe said helpfully.

I chuckled. "Do I get a ride home or do I have to walk?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll drive you."

Lethe grabbed a jacket and her keys and I followed her down to the car. Again the ride was silent but it wasn't awkward. It was actually a surprisingly comfortable silence.

Lethe pulled up alongside my apartment and turned to smile at me. "Goodnight Finnick."

"Goodnight Lethe." I surprised her when I leaned forward, gently kissing her bruise on her jaw and then pressing a hard kiss against her lips. Before she could respond, I opened my door and jumped out. I smirked at her dumfounded expression as I shut the door and she started the car. She gave me one last quizzical smile before pulling onto the road to go home.

I tromped up the stairs in a better mood than I had ever been in the Capitol. No guilt and no thoughts of Annie entered my mind that night as I fell asleep; dreaming about what it would be like to do more than kiss Lethe.

* * *

I didn't see Lethe for the rest of the week. She was busy juggling Snow, Seneca and Vamos while I was booked solid the rest of the week with clients. We called each other every day to talk but only on Saturday did we both find we were free to see each other.

"I have to come clean to you Finnick," said Lethe. She was in her bedroom putting on her makeup and I sat on the end of her bed, dressed and ready to go. I had walked here and since Lethe wasn't ready and I watched her get all dressed up for our nightclub date.

"About what?"

"I'm the one that got us both this night off."

"How'd you manage that?"

Lethe swirled blush on her cheeks. "I did some freaky things with Snow."

I frowned. "Is that how you got my trip to go home?" Since Lethe had told me about the line of work she was in, I had been toying around with the idea that she had used sex to bargain with Snow on my behalf.

Lethe smiled at my reflection in the mirror. "I did some pretty crazy shit with him and I promised him more if only he'd let you go home for a break."

"Didn't he ask why you would be bargaining for me?"

"He did. I told him that I didn't have many friends in the Capitol and you were important to me. I also told him that the price your clients pay for you would dip severely if you were constantly depressed and homesick. I got Snow wrapped around my finger. I do freaky sex things with him and he'll listen to almost anything I say."

"Well aren't you just a clever little vixen," I laughed.

Lethe shrugged. "I have to use the power I got."

"I have to thank you for everything you've done for me, and continue to do for me."

"Don't really worry about it Finnick. I have to have sex with them anyways so at least I'm doing it for a reason now instead of because I have to."

"I still have to thank you. I would never have gotten to go home without you."

"How was your visit anyways?" asked Lethe, frowning at my reflection as she smeared something on her soft pink lips. 'You haven't said anything about it?"

I played absentmindedly with a stray string on the hem of my shirt. "It was good."

Lethe turned from the mirror and perched on the bed side me. She pulled my fingers away from my hem and encircled both my hands in her tiny ones. "Seriously Finnick, what's wrong? I can tell that something must have happened."

"Annie and I..."

"Broke up?" offered Lethe.

I shook my head. "No but we got into a huge fight the fight before I left back here."

"Over what?"

I swallowed. "We fought over you."

Lethe dropped my hands in confusion and shock. "Me? Why?!"

I opened my mouth but I didn't have time for words to come out before Lethe interrupted me.

"It's because you didn't tell her about me, isn't it?"

I sighed. I felt like a coward of a man. "You don't understand Annie. She absolutely despises everything to do with the Capitol; the people, the clothes, even the food."

"Why? I mean, I can understand it but what are her reasons, other than the obvious?"

"She hates the Capitol for the Hunger Games, obviously, but she always hates it for what I'm forced to do. She hates that the Capitol takes me away from her. I'll never be just hers because she sees it as she has to share me with multiple people in the Capitol."

Maybe it was my imagination but Lethe looked close to tears. "So Annie see's me as another Capitol woman that she has to share you with?"

"I told her you were just my friend but Annie doesn't believe I can be friends with someone from the Capitol."

"Because everyone in the Capitol is a horrible person," Lethe muttered hoarsely under her breath.

"So Annie and I fought," I explained, ignoring Lethe's comment. "I don't have friends here Lethe and no matter what Annie says or does, I'm not going to break our friendship. In this place, I desperately need you. Annie doesn't understand what it's like to be alone here, doing what we do."

Lethe looked at me, tears glistening in the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry you and Annie fought over me. I can understand if you think its best that we don't see each other anymore."

"No," I said simply, grasping Lethe's hands in mine.

"But Finnick," she protested. "I don't want to come between you and Annie."

"If Annie can't understand our friendship, then that has nothing to do with you. I need you Lethe."

I watched as a tear escaped and slid down Lethe's cheek. "I need you too Finnick. I never realized how much I needed a friend until I met you."

"I never realized I needed a friend here either," I chuckled darkly.

"I hate myself for what I've become Finnick," moaned Lethe, tears rapidly spilling down her face.

I couldn't think of anything to comfort her; so I did what I knew best. I leaned down and kissed her. Her lips tasted salty from her tears and it reminded me of everything I was trying not to think about; District 4, the crashing waves of the sea, the gritty grains of sand, the salty ocean breeze and the people I had left behind.

It was Lethe who broke the kiss with a soft shove to my chest. "We can't Finnick. You belong to another."

I was so tired of everyone says that they had a claim to me. President Snow made it pretty clear that my body was an object of the Capitol and everyone of my clients felt that they owned me since they paid for me and my time. And now, apparently, I belonged to Annie, like I was a possession for her to collect.

"For once in my life," I nearly growled. "I want to belong to myself."

"What do you mean?" asked Lethe, wiping away the traces of her tears.

"I do not belong to anyone; not Annie, not the Capitol and definitely not President Snow. I belong to myself," I whispered vehemently. "For once, I want to do something that I choose to do."

Lethe just stared at me with a little smile on her lips. "Then do what you choose to do, here and now."

I reached forward, cupped her face in my hands and crashed our lips together. "This is what I want to do," I murmured against her lips.

Her tongue pressed against my lips, seeking an entrance that I granted eagerly. Our tongues slid together, fighting for dominance over the other. Her hands were all over; tangled in my bronze hair, skimming over my chest, gently brushing the bulge in my pants, scraping her fingernails ever so softly down my cheek. Likewise, my hands explored wherever I could reach; entangled in her silken strands, grasping her hips, sliding up her loose shirt to feel her heated skin, softly skimming over the gentle swell of her breasts, cradling her face.

I left her lips to kiss a trail down her throat and she threw her head back, a quiet little moan escaping her lips. I kissed along her collarbone but froze for a nanosecond as I felt her little fingers reach between our bodies and start rubbing my trapped erection. It was very rare that I got an erection without the help of pills and Lethe had already given me two in the time I had known her. Only Annie had ever given me a natural erection before Lethe.

I broke our embrace this time with gentle hands. I kissed her once on the lips just in case so she wouldn't feel rejected after I saw the worry in her eyes. "Let's go to this club and then we can continue this when we get back."

"Why can't we just stay here?" she complained with a smile, a light bright in her eyes.

"Because you promised that you would show me a Capitol club and I expect you to keep your promise," I said, winking.

She snorted. "Fine, but you have to keep your promise."

I frowned. "My promise?"

She blushed. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I mean, that kiss was a onetime thing, right? It was just something you wanted to do then, probably not again."

I smirked and pecked her gently on the lips. "That definitely wasn't something I just wanted to do then. If I have my way, we're coming back here and continuing that kiss after this clubbing date."

She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "I'm going to go get changed in the bathroom. I don't need Finnick Odair to see me in my underwear."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

Inside the club was like nothing I had ever seen before in the Capitol. The dance floor gleamed, shimmering colors from the strobe lights running across the black surface like it was a pool of oil. Bodies pulsed, pressed together, in rhythm with the throbbing bass line that shook the entire club. A sleek silver bar extended along the far side of the room. Dark velvet couches ringed the dance floor.

Scantily clad, professional dancers writhed on platforms and poles scattered throughout the room. The room is slightly murky with smoke emitting from the smoke machines hidden from view. In the far back of the club is private couches shrouded from view with more velvet curtains.

With a huge grin, Lethe grabbed my hand and dragged me through the grinding bodies to the bar.

"Do you want to open a tab just for tonight?" shouted Lethe over the music.

"Sure," I nodded vigorously.

As Lethe turned to talk to the bartender, I took in her appearance again. I felt under dressed in my dark jeans, black t-shirt, black boots and a simple silver chain with some sort of animal claw on the end that Lethe had made me wear.

Lethe was dressed in skin tight, dark blue skinny jeans that looked like they had been sewed on. What made my eyes pop was the fact that she was wearing a black silken corset top that was laced so tight that her breasts were pushed forward so noticeably that you had trouble keeping your eyes from straying. She finished off the ensemble with black gladiator heels, smoky makeup and letting her silky blonde hair fan around her in gentle waves.

I snapped back to reality when Lethe handed me a glowing blue drink. "The bartender recommended it."

"Thanks," I said. I held up my drink. "To a great night!"

Lethe clinked her glass against mine. "And to a night of getting so drunk we forget all our problems!"

"I'll drink to that!" I cheered. The drink was fruity but not altogether unpleasant.

Lethe leaned towards me so she wouldn't have to shout to loud. "Everyone is staring. They can't believe I'm out with Finnick Odair."

"If they're all staring, let's give them a show," I shouted back. I chugged the rest of my drink and Lethe followed suit. We slammed our glasses on the bar and then I grabbed Lethe's hand, lacing our fingers together, and pulled her into the throng of people.

I was scared people were going to try and separate us so they could get a free dance with Finnick Odair so I danced as close to Lethe as I figured she would be comfortable with. She pressed herself against me with a smile, one hand wrapped around my shoulders while the fingers of her other hand settled themselves in the belt loops of my jeans.

I smiled down at her as we moved together. I settled both hands on her hips and stroked the skin exposed between her corset and jeans.

"You know," she yelled. "People are probably thinking of shoving me out of the way so they can dance with you."

"Don't worry. They won't pull you away on my watch." I slid my hands down until I was cupping her bottom and pulled her flush against me.

We danced like that until the song ended and Lethe pulled me back to the bar for another drink. Lethe turned to order again and I surveyed the crowd. A blonde man and woman I faintly recognized seemed to be making their way towards me and I panicked slightly. What if they were clients? I didn't remember all of my clients and I kicked myself for not thinking that I could possibly run into someone who had paid for me.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that they were just Gloss and Cashmere. They were brother and sister–both Hunger Games Victors– and both sex slaves like I was. Before Lethe, they both were the closest thing I had to friends here in the Capitol.

Most people from District 1 were gorgeous and Gloss and Cashmere didn't disappoint. Gloss had ruffled golden blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and he was tall and muscled. For the night he was dressed in a bright blue button down with all the buttons open, exposing his chest, and lightly faded jeans.

Cashmere had the same shade of golden blonde hair as her brother but hers was piled on her head in a loose topknot. She was almost the exact same height as Gloss but her eyes were a bright, glimmering green instead of the deep blue eyes of her brother. She received many stares with her super short, dark purple dress that clung to every curve of her body.

"Why Finnick," purred Cashmere, laying a hand on my arm. "I never see you out alone."

"He's not alone," came a voice from my elbow. Lethe handed me my drink and stood close to my side.

Gloss smirked, raking his eyes up and down Lethe. "Who's your friend?"

Lethe stuck out her hand, smirking to herself. "Lethe Everton."

"Gloss Duncain," said Gloss, wrapping his hand around Lethe's and shaking it gently.

"Cashmere Duncain," said Cashmere, taking Lethe's hand from Gloss's.

"I know who you both are," said Lethe. I smiled at her and wrapped my arm around her waist. That movement wasn't lost on Gloss and Cashmere as they took in the sight of my arm.

"You may know us, but we don't know you," said Cashmere, tipping her head to the side slightly. "Are you from District 1?"

Lethe shook her head beside me. "No. Born and raised here in the Capitol."

Now that I looked between Lethe and Gloss and Cashmere, I realized why Cashmere could think Lethe was from District 1. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, Lethe looked like a classic District 1.

"So you _are _on the job then," said Cashmere, looking between Lethe and I.

"Nope," I said, tightening my hold on Lethe. "I'm here of my own free will. I have a free night tonight."

"On a Saturday night?" asked Gloss sceptically.

"Yeah Finn, on a Saturday night?" asked a voice by my ear. And arm was thrown around my neck and I leaned against Lethe unconsciously. I turned my head and my lips broke into a grin.

"Hey Johanna."

Johanna was another Hunger Games Victor and another of Snow's prostitutes. Like Gloss and Cashmere, Johanna was the closest thing I had to a friend before Lethe. Unlike Gloss and Cashmere, Johanna was from District 7.

She was tall and thin, but strong with muscle like all Victors. Her hair was short and a dark brown, styled in small spikes and she had large, wide set brown eyes. She wasn't classically beautiful like Cashmere but there was something wild in her dark looks that the Capitol people seemed to love.

"What's Finnick Odair doing out alone?" asked Johanna, still clinging to my neck.

"I'm not alone. I'm on a date; an actual date."

Johanna mocked gasped and Gloss and Cashmere snickered. "Finnick Odair is on an actual date!? Who's the lucky girl?"

Johanna playfully shoved me to the side to get a better look at Lethe. Johanna was into the theatrics and she didn't disappoint. She gasped and whistled low when she saw Lethe.

"I'm Lethe Everton," Lethe said, not the least intimidated by Johanna.

Johanna grinned. "I'm Johanna Mason."

"So why do you have a Saturday night free of all nights?" asked Gloss, unwilling to let the topic drop.

I shrugged and tried to fight a grin as I felt Lethe press herself tight to my side. "I just didn't have any takers tonight. I was booked solid for the rest of the week and next week I'm entirely full though."

"Even the best of us have those days," laughed Cashmere. "Don't worry; you aren't losing that famous charm."

"So you took the opportunity of a free night to freely take out a date?" asked Johanna, glancing at Lethe again. "Snow won't like it."

"I don't think Snow will have a problem," said Lethe, looking up at me and winking.

"So do all three of you guys have free nights too?" I asked.

"Yup," said Cashmere, threading an arm through her brothers. "Turns out the couple we were scheduled for only wanted a couple of hours instead of the entire night."

"What about you?" Gloss asked Johanna.

Johanna shrugged. "Like Finnick said– I had no takers tonight. It's a first for me and I couldn't be happier."

Johanna started conversing with Gloss so I took the opportunity to whisper down to Lethe.

"Let's go dance again," I said, trying to excuse us as nicely as possible.

"First," said Lethe, pulling out of my arms. "We're all doing shots!"

As Lethe turned back to the bar, Gloss caught my eye and winked.

"Five shots of Tequila!" I heard Lethe shout to the bartender. Within a minute, the bartender placed a tray in front of us with five shots, a handful of napkins, a small dish of salt and five lime wedges. We all crowded around the bar, salting our hands and grabbing a shot glass and a lime wedge. Then we all backed away and stood in a loose circle.

"Cheers," said Lethe, raising her shot glass. "To having an amazing night."

"To getting shitfaced drunk," Gloss added, raising his glass also.

"To alcohol," said Johanna simply.

"To finally being around people I actually like," interjected Cashmere.

"To beautiful women," I said, catching Lethe's eye. Cashmere and Johanna just rolled their eyes.

We all clinked our glasses together, careful not to spill any of the expensive liquid. I brought my hand up, licked the salt on the back of my hand and then quickly swallowed the Tequila. I brought the lime to my lips and bit into the sour fruit. I sucked the juice and then tossed the rind back onto the tray.

Lethe made a face when she bit into the lime but other than that, she took her alcohol like a champion. I handed everyone a napkin and we wiped our sticky fingers.

"Another!" cheered Johanna, throwing her napkin on the tray and leaning to the bar to get more shots.

We did four more shots together as a group, toasting something more ridiculous each time, before Lethe and I were able to go dance. Unfortunately, by taking shots with the other three, they got the idea that now it was a group outing. Cashmere grabbed the normalist looking Capitol man and started grinding on him right next to Lethe and I while Gloss and Johanna were dirty dancing on the other side of us.

"Guess it's a group thing now," Lethe yelled over the thumping music. "I'm sorry."

I wrapped my arms around her middle, spun her in a small circle and then put her back on the ground. "Don't be sorry. Before I met you, they were the closest things I had to a friend. I don't mind that they're around."

"Well in that case..." Lethe turned her back to me and pressed her body tight against my chest. It was no accident that she was grinding hard against the bulge she made spring up in my jeans. She brought her arms up and wrapped them around my neck.

I brought my face down and nibbled the side of her neck. I heard her low moan as she titled her head to the side for easier access. My hands were clutching hard at her hips while I felt her fingers playing with my hair as she rubbed her body against mine. I knew eyes were glued to us but I couldn't care less as I nibbled gently on her ear, eliciting a groan from her lips.

We danced like that until Lethe tugged me back to the bar for more drinks. We took two more shots together and then continued dancing—if dancing is what it could be called.

I was properly drunk when Cashmere, Gloss and Johanna stumbled into Lethe and I and started complaining about how dull the club was. We were all pretty drunk but I was almost positive that Lethe and I were the most sober.

Lethe threw her arms around Gloss's shoulders, laughing. "What If I could get us all into the most spectacular club here in the Capitol?!"

"You could get us into Project V!?" yelled Johanna, her eyes wide.

"I thought this was Project V?" slurred Cashmere.

I shook my head. "Sober up Cash."

"So can you get us in?" asked Gloss.

"Let's go!" cheered Johanna, throwing her hands up.

Lethe grabbed my hands with a wide smile and I snaked them around her waist as we walked, leading the other three out the door and into the chill night air.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

As we made our way down the sidewalk, being loud and rowdy, we received many stares. I liked to hope it was just because we were obnoxiously drunk but I knew that being drunk was only half the reason. The real reason was that here was a group of Capitol whores all hanging out together, acting friendly. Some people were climaxing just looking at the lot of us together. I had to admit, we all looked insanely captivating.

"It's cold," complained Cashmere, her arm draped over her brother's shoulder to keep her balance.

"You're the one that wanted to go," said Lethe, nestling deeper into the arm I had slung around her.

"Actually, that was Johanna," said Gloss, gesturing with his chin to Johanna who was draped in his arms against the cold.

"I changed my mind," said Johanna. "Let's just go back to Pura."

"Really? huffed Lethe. "After coming all this way already?"

"And having everyone staring at us," I pointed out.

"Pura! Pura! Pura!" chanted Johanna and Cashmere together.

"Let's just go back to Pura," I said, brushing my lips against Lethe's hair. "Or they'll be terrors for the rest of the night."

Lethe smiled up at me. "Fine, let's go."

I ignored the constant stares of passerby's as we turned around and made our way back to the club we had just left. Johanna and Cashmere were thoroughly drunk and Gloss and I were right on the pinnacle. Lethe seemed to be the one with the most wits about them as we reached the entrance to Pura and the bouncer wouldn't let us in.

"What do you mean we can't go in? We were just in there," argued Lethe. I hung back, my arms wrapped around her waist, while the others attention couldn't be kept by the bouncer so they started loudly talking about how drunk they were.

"You'll have to wait in line like everyone else," said the bouncer, gesturing to the long lineup.

Lethe stood ramrod straight and lifted her chin. "Do you know who I am? Do you know who I am with?"

The bouncer's eyes glinted. "I know who you are. President Snow speaks highly of your…._abilities_."

"Then you'll have no problem letting us back in."

"Oh, I'll have no problem at all as long as you cooperate."

Even in my drunken state, I understood what the bouncer meant only a spilt second after Lethe did.

"Lethe….," I started. I tried to pull her away from the bouncer but Lethe extricated herself from my arms.

"Take the others and go inside," said Lethe. She refused to look at me. "Please Finnick. I have….business to attend to."

"We can just leave Lethe. We don't _have_ to get back inside the club," I protested.

"I promised you a club date and damnit, I'll keep that promise."

"It's just a club. You don't have to do anything to get us inside tonight. We can just come back another time."

"Take Cashmere, Gloss and Johanna inside please. I'll be with you in a little bit," said Lethe, finally glancing at me. All I could see in her bottomless eyes was steely resolve.

I probably could have lifted her over my shoulder and carried her away despite her protests but instead, I gathered the others who hadn't paid any attention to the conversation and ushered them through the velvet rope the bouncer held open for us.

I immediately led them to a back couch that was shrouded in curtains and settled them down. I felt like I was their parent even though I was drunk too.

"Stay here and I'll go get you guys drinks," I said, making sure they wouldn't scatter over the club.

"You sit Finnick," said Gloss, stumbling over the flat floor as he stood up and having to catch himself on the back of the couch. "You aren't nearly as drunk as you need to be so I'll go get the drinks."

Before I could argue, Gloss was lost in the crowd. I sunk down on the couch and Johanna immediately moved from where she was sitting so I was sitting between her and Cashmere.

"So," started Cashmere, leaning her head against my shoulders. "Where's that Lethe chick?"

"She had some business to take care of," I said.

"We all know what kind of business she's doing," taunted Johanna, waggling her eyebrows.

"Shut up Jo."

"Is Finnick jealous of this random guy Lethe is doing right now!?" asked Johanna, incredulously. She poked my cheek with her index finger. "Your cheeks are flushed."

"How can you tell?" asked Cashmere. "It's dark in here."

"I'm psychotic," said Johanna, tapping her forehead between her eyes. "I know the future."

Cashmere pouted. "I want to be psychotic too!"

I snorted. "I think you both mean psychic."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Gloss, dropping a tray full of beers onto our table. Everyone grabbed one and took a sip.

"Jo and Cash want to be psychotic," I said

"Psychic?" asked Gloss, sitting down and settling an arm over Johanna's shoulder.

I shook my head. "Nope. They both want to be psychotic."

"How many beers were here?" asked Cashmere suddenly.

Gloss furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. "Eleven I think, why?"

Johanna clapped her hands excitedly. "We each get two!"

I chugged the rest of my beer and slammed the empty bottle on the table. I took another one despite the dirty look Johanna threw me. "You need to work on math Johanna."

"You're going to mess up the numbers if you keep drinking like that!" complained Cashmere.

"Then we'll just order more," I said.

Cashmere ignored me and turned to her brother. "Is Finnick flushed?"

I quirked an eyebrow as Gloss studied my face. Finally, Gloss just shrugged. "How am I supposed to know, it's dark in here."

"That's what I said!" said Johanna, rolling her eyes.

"No you didn't," argued Cashmere. "I said that."

I let Cashmere and Johanna argue over who had said what while Gloss tried to referee as I kept drinking the beers. Cashmere and Johanna had finally settled down and were talking about the different clients they had slept with by the time I had finished my fourth beer. Gloss and I talked about last year's Hunger Games while he and I drank the majority of the beers.

"Snow was _not happy_ about that stunt that Katniss Everdeen pulled," said Gloss. "Who would have thought that a handful of berried would mean that two people could win?"

"Do you think Katniss and that Peeta Mellark are really in love?" I asked. "Because to me, it seemed really forced on her part."

Gloss nodded vigorously. "I know what you mean. Cashmere and I had said the same thing but everyone here in the Capitol believes it."

A laugh bubbled up on my lips. "Snow wants to throw them their wedding here in the Capitol."

Gloss guffawed. "I'm sure Katniss and Peeta will _love_ that. Did you see her face before she could hide her reaction when Flickerman first suggested it?"

Gloss and I roared with laughter at the thought of little Katniss Everdeen of District 12 decked out in Capitol finery. Even though I had only ever seen Katniss through a TV monitor, I could see the fire of fight burning in her eyes.

* * *

There were only three beers left when Lethe finally joined us. She slid in beside Cashmere, took one of the beers and chugged it without a word. I could see that the others were a little taken aback by her dishevelled appearance but they didn't question why she had had sex with a random stranger.

Her hair, which had waved perfectly around her, was dishevelled, her eye makeup was smudged slightly and her corset top was laced loosely on her. Other than her physical appearance, Lethe looked unchanged.

"Do you want me to fix your top?" I asked, accidently knocking down an empty beer bottle when I tried to gesture to her top.

"Please," said Lethe, putting her empty bottle on the table.

Cashmere crawled over my lap and I scooted over so Cashmere could take my spot beside Johanna. Lethe turned her back to me, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

"Tell me when," I said, undoing the sloppy little bow that the bouncer had no doubt tied. I tugged on the little laces as hard as I could until Lethe gave a little squeak. I tied the ends in a bow almost as sloppy as the bouncers and gathered Lethe's hair in my hands to bring back over her shoulder.

I let my fingers part her silken strands, as golden as sunrise. I felt the strands run through my fingers and settle over her creamy shoulders. I ran my fingers down her neck and skimmed over her shoulders.

"Finnick—," she started, turning her body to see what I was doing. I caught her face in my hands and she turned her whole body to face me. Even in the dark I could see the glittering of her cobalt coloured eyes with her lips slightly parted, her breaths hitching as I slowly brought my lips closer.

She closed the distance between our lips with a little gasp. I immediately snaked my arms around her waist and pulled her as close as possible. One hand settled on her hip while the other entangled itself in her hair to deepen the kiss. Both of Lethe's hands knotted themselves in my hair; it seemed to be her favorite place to let her hands wander whenever we kissed.

My favorite place to explore was her mouth.

"Cut it out you two," said Cashmere, swatting me across the back just as Lethe had opened her lips to let me explore her mouth. I would have ignored Cashmere and kept kissing Lethe but Lethe pulled back with a sheepish grin.

"Just ignore them," I whispered, nuzzling her neck.

Lethe brought her lips to my ear and her breath tickled. "Are you drunk?"

"Yeah," I breathed against her skin. "Are you?"

I felt her nod. "Yeah," she murmured against my ear.

I pulled back and kissed Lethe quickly on the lips. Ignoring the others, I grabbed Lethe's hand and pulled her off the couch with me. "Let's go dance."

* * *

It was past four in the morning when Lethe and I finally reached her apartment. We had danced until our feet hurt and until we had reached our limit of alcohol. After getting Gloss's, Cashmere's and Johanna's phone numbers, Lethe and I hailed a taxi in the now almost deserted city.

"You can go in," I said to Lethe while I dug in my pocket for my money. "The taxi will just take me home."

"Finnick, it's almost five in the morning. Don't waste your money, I'll bring you home tomorrow," said Lethe, staggering out of the taxi.

I threw some bills over the seat to the driver and lurched onto the pavement. Lethe balanced herself on my arm as we climbed the stairs of her building. She unlocked her door and flicked on the lights as she stood back to let me in. I kicked off my shoes as Lethe locked the door and shed her silver heels.

"Want some water or juice?" asked Lethe.

"Some water would probably be best," I said.

Lethe had to run her hands along the walls to keep her balance as she led me to the kitchen and took two glasses down from the cupboard without turning on the light.

"I'll pour them," I said. I grabbed the glasses and filled them with water from the pitcher in the fridge while Lethe leaned on the island.

We both chugged the water and had to refill our glasses two more times. When we were done, I dropped the glasses in the sink.

"Bed?" offered Lethe, quirking her brow.

I nodded gratefully. Since I had already been in Lethe's house, I made my way to her spare bedroom while she turned out all the lights. On her way to her room, she spotted me sitting on the end of her guest bed.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to go to bed soon."

"In here?"

I was confused. "Where else?"

Maybe it was the alcohol but Lethe looked like she suddenly flushed. "You don't have to but I was thinking my room."

I stood up and encircled Lethe in my arms with a crooked smile. "Naughty girl."

Lethe shook her head and leaned against my chest. "I know that early tonight you were thinking about us having sex and I had basically promised you I would…."

"Now you don't want to?" I asked, almost a little hurt that she didn't want me that way.

"No, I do," protested Lethe gently. "But we're both drunk and I had to have sex with that gross bouncer and if we do have sex, I don't want it to be like this."

I hugged Lethe tight against me. "I completely understand. I'm sorry you had to do that."

Lethe sighed. "Let's just go to bed."

Lethe led me to her bedroom and it looked just like it had when I had first woken up here. She let go of my hand and walked to her dresser, pulling out a bundle of clothes. "I'm going to go change and wash up. I think I should have some clothes for you to change into in the bottom drawer."

While Lethe was washing up, I dug in the drawer she had pointed out. Inside was a small collection of t-shirts and jeans and at the very bottom I found a pair of black lounger pants. I felt awkward sleeping in the same bed as Lethe shirtless but that was how I always slept so I stripped off my clothes and slipped on the lounger pants.

I was just settling in bed when Lethe came back dressed in black sleep shorts and dark blue tank top. Her hair was in loose waves down her back and her face was scrubbed of her makeup. She flicked off the lights as she closed her bedroom door.

I opened my arms with a grin and she crawled into bed and settled in my arms. I covered us both with blankets and we squirmed around, making ourselves comfortable. Eventually we settled down with my arms wrapped tightly around Lethe while she rested her head on my chest, one of her hands splayed over my heart.

"I won't pull anything," I promised. "I'll just hold you."

I felt Lethe kiss my chest. "Goodnight Finnick."

I bent down and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Goodnight Lethe."

* * *

**So I need help! I have two ways I want to end this story but one way is way longer. So my question is, do you want to read more about Finnick and Lethe or are you losing interest and want the story to be almost finished? Your opinions count! Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

It must have been early afternoon when I woke up. The curtains hadn't been drawn last night so thin rays of sunshine were dancing through the window. Some reached Lethe's hair spread on my chest and made her golden hair shimmer.

I couldn't bring myself to wake her so I stroked her back and hair while she breathed evenly against me.

In all my nights in the Capitol, I could never remember sleeping as soundly and comfortably as I had last night. I liked to think it was because I had been exhaustively drunk but I knew better. I had been that drunk before and I had never slept that good. The only component of the night that had been different than other drunken nights was Lethe. I didn't know how but having Lethe to cuddle with last night seemed to equal a comfortable sleep.

Lethe stirred in my arms and lazily peeled her eyes open. She rested her chin on my chest to look at me. "Morning," she rasped. Her voice was a little scratchy in the morning and I couldn't block the thought from crossing my mind that it sounded really sexy.

"Morning. How are you feeling?"

Lethe seemed to think for a moment. "I'm good, just a headache. How about you?"

I frowned as I realized that I felt pretty good too. "I'm feeling pretty good. I don't know why though. I mean, the amount we drank, we shouldn't even be able to open our eyes."

Lethe frowned. "I don't know why either but I'd rather be feeling okay than hung over."

"Same," I said, still stroking Lethe's back. "Thanks for last night by the way. It was really fun."

"Last night was _really_ fun," laughed Lethe. "Cashmere and Johanna were _gone_! They were totally out of it."

"And when Gloss almost got in a fight with that one guy for dancing with Cashmere, I almost died laughing!"

"Or when Johanna flashed the bartender to get a free round of shots!"

"I laughed so hard when that one guy was trying to grope you and you punched him," I snickered.

Lethe pulled herself up to a sitting position and leaned her back against the headboard. I copied her position but wound my arms around her waist to pull her close beside me. She leaned into my embrace and rested her head against my shoulder as our hands tangled together in her lap.

"I think my favorite part was dancing with you all night," said Lethe.

I stroked my thumb along her knuckles. "That was definitely my favorite too. We're going to have to do that again soon."

We sat in comfortable silence as we cuddled together on the bed. Lethe was the one to break the silence but when she talked, her voice sounded hesitant.

"Finnick, I have to tell you something."

I peered down at her and was surprised to her that she was blushing. "What is it?"

"You can't interrupt me because this is really hard to say," she warned.

I frowned. What could she possibly have to tell me that would make her blush at the thought of it? "I won't interrupt."

Lethe took a deep breath that I guessed was to gather herself and then she took the plunge. "I know I haven't known you that long and we're both prostitutes and we haven't hung out a lot together but I think you're a really special person. You're charming, sexy, handsome, and charismatic but you're also kind hearted, caring, fun loving and strong."

I smiled bemusedly. "Thank you?"

"Finnick…."

"Yeah?"

Lethe took another deep breath. "I love you."

* * *

I had panicked after those words. I had made incoherent sentences as I scrambled out of the bed and changed back into my clothes. Lethe didn't try to argue with me as I made excuses as why I had to leave but the sharp hurt in her eyes as I left haunted me as I trudged home.

When I got home, I immediately stripped in the bathroom and hopped into the shower, letting the hot water pound against my back as I sat with my knees up in the tub.

Lethe had just made me more confused about how I felt about both her and Annie. I had felt these deep emotional ties to Lethe start to creep up on me like vines to snare my heart but I had never tried to stop them from forming. I had always told myself that Lethe was just my friend in this godforsaken place but that had been becoming less and less true. I could tell that despite my initial wishes, she was becoming someone closer and dearer to me than just a simple friend. So what about Annie?

Annie was troubled, catatonic, withdrawn and indifferent a lot of the time but she was also kind hearted, loving, caring, talkative and sweet when she was in the right frame of mind. That sweet girl was the girl I had fell in love with but that was before the Hunger Games had took even that from me. Of course I still loved Annie even if she wasn't entirely that same girl anymore but sometimes, I desperately missed the old Annie. Did that make me a horrible person when it wasn't Annie's fault she changed so drastically?

When I was around Annie, she almost acted just like she had before the games. I could almost believe that she was the old Annie again. But then something would remind her of her time in the arena or the voices she told me she hears sometimes would make her lose herself in her head as she tried not to scream. She would eventually come out of it but she would be so shaken that she would be reserved for the rest of the day.

My mind jumped to Lethe again as I unconsciously compared her to Annie. Lethe, despite every bad card that life had dealt her, was fun loving, upbeat, selfless and genuinely a happy person majority of the time. Sure, she sometimes got upset about her situation but most of the time she was strong about it. But she also had a little bit of a temper I noticed and she was way too trusting with Cashmere and Gloss. Even those little faults couldn't compare to the completely selfless act of selling herself so I could go home to District 4. That she actually did that for me still completely blows my mind.

After all this deep thinking about Annie and Lethe, I decided I needed to call Annie and see where we stood after our fight. I quickly washed up and changed into jeans and a plain black t-shirt. I noticed I had been sitting in the shower for a while since the sun was slowly starting to sink below the clouds.

I picked up the phone and dialed the unfamiliar number. I sometimes called Annie when I was in the Capitol but I didn't a lot because it just made her think about what I was doing in the Capitol. She preferred that I only called now and again so she could pretend I wasn't sleeping with other people.

Annie picked up on the fifth ring. "Hello?"

"Annie, it's me Finnick."

She took a few moments to answer. "Finnick, why are you calling?"

"Why can't I call? I miss you."

"You know I don't like when you call when you're over there."

"I'm sorry?"

She sighed. "Don't be sorry, just don't do it."

"I can't call the woman I love and miss?"

"I miss you too but I'm still mad at you."

"Still? Annie, it's been a week."

"A week doesn't change the fact that you lied."

It was my turn to sigh. "Lethe is just a friend."

"So you're still hanging out with her?"

"Yeah, why?"

"If you had told me that you had stopped hanging out with her, I could have forgiven you that much quicker."

"I'm not just going to stop being friends with her," I growled.

"Then don't expect me to forgive you right away."

"Annie, can we just not fight?"

"Listen, I don't want to talk on the phone with you in the Capitol. You know what it does to me."

I sighed again. "Okay, bye Annie. I'll be back in District 4 in a week."

"Bye Finnick."

"I love you," I said quickly.

There was a pause that seemed to stretch miles before she answered. "I love you too."

I hung up feeling even more confused if that was possible.

Annie and Lethe. Lethe and Annie. Anyway I put it, those two seemed to not want to work together in my mind. They were the total opposites in looks also, not just in personalities.

While Annie had chocolate brown tresses that hung straight like a curtain, Lethe had wavy, golden blonde hair that almost had a wild quality about it. Lethe's eyes are a deep blue like the ocean while Annie's were a dark green like the color of an evergreen tree. Annie had a paler complexion, almost translucent looking, while Lethe had more of a peaches and cream skin tone. Annie was taller but she looked extremely fragile with her wide eyes and blushing cheeks. Lethe may have been shorter than Annie but she looked tough and strong with her muscles and defiant eyes.

I loved Annie; there was no doubt about that. But now I didn't know where my love stemmed from. Did I love her because everything about her was special to me? Did I love her because I felt responsible for her? Did I love her because she needed someone to care about her? Did I love her because her face was the last thing I wanted to see before I went to bed and the first thing I wanted see when I woke up? Did I love her because I was still in love with the girl before the Hunger Games and I was still hoping she would be that girl again?

And that's when it struck me like lightning. I loved Annie but I also loved Lethe; her smile when something made her happy; her laugh when I was being ridiculous; the way she tossed her hair out of her face like it was annoying her; how she understood my sexual sense of humor; how she didn't let me mope around when I was feeling down; how her eyes sparkled with life and how she just treated me like Finnick Odair from District 4, not Famous Finnick Odair, most wanted man in Panem.

Was it possible to love two people at the same time? I believed it was but there always had to be that one person that you loved more than the other, even if the difference was miniscule. I didn't know who I loved more, but the knowledge I had just gained about my feelings for Lethe was enough for me to dash out my apartment door.

I had no other thoughts as I ran down the street like a maniac other than telling Lethe how I felt. I didn't know if it was fair to Annie to tell Lethe how I felt but I knew that pretending Lethe didn't tell me how she felt about me was enough to lose her and I couldn't lose her.

People stared at me as I jogged by, shooting me confused looks. They were probably wondering where I could possibly be running to.

Lucky for me, when I reached Lethe's apartment building the streets were mostly empty. The Capitol life mostly started at night and I didn't want too many people watching me go into Lethe's apartment.

I jogged up the stairs and hammered on the door. It swung open angrily, Lethe ready to shout at whoever dared beat on her door. When she saw it was me, her face fell.

"What are you doing here Finnick?" she asked.

I pushed through her doorway and closed the door. She frowned at my dishevelled appearance but didn't say a word as I stood in front of her.

As nervous as I was, I couldn't help take in her appearance. She was dressed in dark blue skinny jeans, a sea green sheer shirt with a black tank top underneath and she was bare foot. Her hair was in a messy bun and she had barely there make-up.

She stood with her arms crossed, blocking my way into the rest of her house. "What do you want Finnick?"

I took a deep breath and plunged into the deep end. "I'm sorry about earlier today. I just panicked."

"Don't apologize," she said, shrugging. She acted nonchalant but I could see the hurt. "I'm tough. I can deal with you not feeling the same way as me."

"But I do feel the same way Lethe," I said eagerly.

She frowned. "What?"

"Lethe, I love you."

* * *

**Review! Review! Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

I could see the mixture of surprise and joy in her eyes but before she could respond, I dragged my lips down to capture hers. With my hands on her hips, I backed her up and pressed her against the wall. I could feel every line and curve of her body as I pressed her between the wall and my body.

Lethe's hands fumbled at the edge of my t-shirt before sliding up my torso and gently flexing her fingernails into my skin. She pushed me back and I let her slip out from between me and the wall. She didn't break the kiss though. Instead, she started to slowly walk backwards and I followed, keeping the pressure on her lips intense.

We broke the kiss for a second as Lethe gripped the edge of my shirt and pulled it over my head. She threw it to the side and ran her hands from my belt all the up to around my neck. With a smirk, she leaned up and kissed me hungrily.

As we walked backwards slowly, kissing heavily, we stripped clothing off each other. Next to go was the ponytail in Lethe's hair and then I unclasped her necklace and dropped it somewhere on the carpet. I slipped my tongue against hers as my fingers worked the button on her sheer shirt and I slid it off her shoulders. When we were almost to the bedroom, I kicked off my shoes and stepped on the edges of each sock to pull them off my feet.

I had just slipped a hand up Lethe's tank top to press against her flat stomach was I felt both Lethe's hands fumbling at my wrist. It took me a moment in my aroused state to realize that she was trying to untie the thick braided bracelet Annie had given me. I almost drew back since I had never taken it off since Annie had given it to me years ago but something stopped me.

A little voice was whispering in my head but it wasn't like the voices Annie heard. It was telling me that why should I care if the bracelet came off? If I wanted something with Lethe, then the bracelet shouldn't matter. So I let Lethe untie the skillfully knotted leather and I didn't even notice when the bracelet fell away from my wrist for the first time in ten years.

Once the bracelet was off, Lethe brought one hand up to knot in my hair while the other slipped between our bodies and softly started massaging the bulge pressing against my jeans. I growled against her lips as we finally made it into her bedroom. I kicked the door closed behind me and then I backed her onto the bed, where we fell together— our hands still grasping each other.

I rolled her beneath me and I just took a second to really take her in. She looked sexy beyond belief with her lips kiss swollen, her cheeks flushed, brightness of arousal dancing in her eyes and her golden halo of hair spread out around her like spun gold.

She smirked up at me as she reached for my belt. "See anything you like?"

I let her unbuckle my belt and slide the belt out of the loops before I leaned down to crash my lips against hers again. "I love you Lethe," I murmured against her lips.

Lethe skimmed her nose along my jaw before kissing the hollow below my ear. "I love you Finnick."

My hands pushed up the edges of her shirt and she reached down and squirmed out of her tank top. I smiled as I took in her black and white lacy bra. I kissed her hard on the lips and then started to kiss a hot trail along her jaw and down her neck.

While her fingers were busy knotting themselves in my hair, I used one hand to hold myself above her while my other was undoing the button on her jeans and pulling down her zipper. My lips had just reached the hollow in her neck when she pushed me up and shimmied out of her jeans.

"You're beautiful," I whispered in awe. How could I be the lucky guy that this lovely creature wanted to be with?

She just smiled at me, joy and arousal mirrored in her eyes.

It was a turn on that her bra and underwear didn't match. While her bra was black and white, her panties were electric blue and the edges were trimmed in lace. She giggled at the look my face and then reached up to quickly undo my jeans.

"I think it's your turn to strip," she said. Her voice was that bedroom kind of husky sounding and it made me even harder.

I quickly kicked off my jeans and tossed them somewhere in the room. As Lethe took in my almost nudity, it was her turn to gape.

The Capitol supplied me with all my clothing I had to wear in the Capitol and that included underwear. I was what a lot of my clients call well-endowed so most of my clients liked me in brightly colored briefs to accentuate that. I didn't want to be that person with Lethe so I had picked what I liked to wear which happened to be black boxer briefs.

After she had taken in my body, she locked eyes with me and I could see the need and wanting in her blue orbs. "I want you Finnick."

She sat up to meet me as I brought my lips down to hers. Before we could fall back on the bed, I reached behind her and unclasped her bra with a flick of my wrist. I pressed her back down on the bed and pulled her free from the bra.

I took her left nipple in my mouth and sucked hard while my fingers reached around to pinch and pull her other nipple. I bit down gently which dragged a deep groan from her throat.

"Finnick…" she rasped, her nails digging into my shoulders.

I switched nipples and she arched her back to readily give me more access. I felt her start to buck her hips against me but I decided to take it slow. I kissed up her chest and nibbled on her bottom lip as she moaned quietly. I slowly teased her by pull her panties off her hips and down her smooth legs inch by inch.

I tossed her panties aside and skimmed my fingers along her heated core. She bucked against my hand and moaned as I started to rub her while she fisted her hands in the sheets. Her face was heated and the way she was bit her lip as I nipped at her chin made me even more excited.

Most women I had been with would be begging me to never stop but Lethe writhed away from my hand with a mischievous smile. She sat up and rolled so I was pinned below her. Her hair was tossed to one side and it tickled my chest as she licked and kissed her way down my torso. She eventually made it to the waistband of my underwear and slowly shimmied them down, releasing my member.

I had the pleasure of seeing her eyes grow wide as she took in my most important body part as far as the Capitol was concerned.

"You're the most beautiful man I have ever seen," she murmured to me, her eyes looking deep into mine instead of at my body. I felt a heated rush of love and happiness at the fact that she loved me for me, not for just my body and looks.

She pulled my underwear off and tossed them away. Instead of immediately jumping my bones like a lot of woman would have, she crawled beside up me and kissed me long and hard, her hands cradling my face.

I sat up so we were both kneeling facing each other and I pulled her snug against me, our lips never leaving each other. Her velvety soft skin was heated as it pressed against the hard lines of my body and I could feel my arousal pressed against her stomach.

I let my hands explore her smooth and creamy skin as our hips started to grind against each other. I brushed along her collarbone with my fingertips; curved my palms over her bottom; ran my hands flat against her sides; splayed my hands on her shoulder blades; cupped her tender breasts; grasped her hips; explored in her wet folds with expert fingers.

Likewise, Lethe was giving her hands free reign. They knotted in my hair; her fingers traced the outline of my jaw and collarbone; she dug her fingernails into my back; gently scraped her fingers nails along my backside; splayed her fingers on my broad shoulders; wrapped her tiny hands around my member; spread her hands on my chest and abs; skimmed down my neck with soft fingertips.

I eventually couldn't take the teasing and by the way Lethe was grinding her hips against me, I guessed she couldn't wait much longer anyway.

I pressed her back down onto the bed and she spread her legs, her hands resting on my forearms. I positioned myself at her entrance and we were gazing into each other's eyes when I rocked forward, enveloping myself in her warmth.

She moaned and her eyes fluttered shut as I started a slow rhythm. Once she got used to the feeling of me, she started to move her hips to meet my thrusts.

"Faster," she groaned, her hands gliding up to grip my shoulders.

I increased my pace as she wrapped her legs around my hips, locking her ankles together to allow me to penetrate deeper. I could feel her tightening around me as our hips thrust together and she unlocked her legs from around me. One more hard thrust and she came undone, her screams of my name coming out in a combination of a moan and a growl. I thrust into her a couple more times as she rode her climax and then I reached the pinnacle. I growled her name as I reached my release.

I collapsed on top of Lethe but I kept most of my weight on my arms so we were just pressed snugly against each other. Lethe's arms wound around my back and her fingers doodled aimlessly on my sweaty back as I buried my nose in her hair and breathed in the scent that was purely Lethe. She smelled like roses and orange blossom and she even smelled like a fresh ocean breeze even though she hadn't been to the ocean in years.

I pulled out of her and flopped down on my back beside her. I wrapped my around her torso and pulled her against my side. Lethe rested her head on my shoulder while one of her hands intertwined with mine and the other was tucked under her chin. Lethe threw the blanket over us and pressed herself closer. We didn't need to worry about the light since we hadn't turned it on in our excitement to get to bed.

"I bet you get this all time, but you're really great in bed," said Lethe.

I chuckled. "You're not too shabby yourself."

Lethe leaned forward and kissed me over my heart. "Goodnight Finnick."

"Goodnight," I murmured, kissing the crown of her hair. "Oh, and Lethe?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Lethe and I had made love two more times that night before morning. When we did wake up the next morning, we were both sheepish at the mess we had made. In our hurry to strip each other, we had just thrown our clothes wherever. My underwear was hanging from the bedside lamp, Lethe's bra had somehow got thrown on top of her makeup dresser and my jeans had landed on the vanity mirror.

We both dressed; I in the jeans from last night while Lethe put on fresh undergarments, a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a black and grey V-neck sweater. She swept up her hair into a messy bun and washed up while I straightened up her room and made the bed.

"Do you want breakfast?" she asked, rolling the sweater up to her forearms.

"Sure, if you're offering to make it," I said.

Lethe led me out of the bedroom and then she giggled as she took in all our things strewn over the carpet. I picked up my bracelet and tucked it into my jeans instead of putting it back on while Lethe clasped her necklace back around her neck.

"I'll pick up," I said, grabbing her sheer shirt. "You go start breakfast."

"Thank you," she called as she danced into the kitchen.

I balled up my socks and stuck them inside my shoes and then neatly placed my shoes at her front door. I picked up her ponytail and folded her sheer shirt and placed them on the end of her bed. I slipped my t-shirt back over my head and rumpled my hair was I walked into the kitchen.

Lethe had three different frying pans going and toast in the toaster. "You can just sit down because we both know you don't cook."

"Ah, you know me so well," I said, leaning back in a kitchen chair.

Within no time, Lethe had a plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages and toast in front of me with a glass of orange juice.

"I hope you love bacon," she said, sitting beside me with a plate for herself. "Because I have a whole frying pan full."

"Bacon is man's best friend," I said, taking a big bite to prove my point.

"A dog is a man's best friend, not bacon," she pointed out.

"They should change that say," I mused. "A guy's best friend is obviously women."

Lethe frowned and put down her glass of orange juice. "Women? Can't guys only be guys around other guys?"

"Well guys are stupid. If you were a guy and had to choose between being a guy around other guys or being around a woman who is pretty to look at and who you could have a chance to have sex with, which would you choose?"

Lethe snorted but she was grinning. "You're a pig."

I held up my piece of bacon. "No, this is a pig. I'm the Sex God of Panem."

Lethe burst out laughing and I couldn't contain my own laughter at seeing her so happy. She had doubled over, clutching her stomach as some tears leaked out of her eyes.

When she caught her breath, she grinned widely at me. "Then I'm the Sex Goddess of Panem."

"Sex God and Goddess," I said. "Sounds like we're pretty amazing at sex."

"Oh, _I_ am," said Lethe modestly. "You'll just have to keep practicing."

"Darn," I cursed, snapping my fingers in mock disappointment. "I'll have to try harder next time."

Lethe giggled.

We finished breakfast, did the dishes and we were debating what we were going to do for the rest of the day when our good mood was shattered. There was a knock on her door and I went to answer it with her. I had this weird feeling that I just always wanted to be in her presence.

It was an Avox girl with a sealed letter. Lethe let the Avox in and made her stand by the door while we went to the bedroom to open the note.

Lethe opened the wax seal of the Capitol coat of arms on the letter and started to read in a hushed voice.

_Ms. Everton and Mr. Odair,_

_It seems that you both missed client appointments last night. And yes, I know that you are both reading this letter because I know that you two were together last night instead of at your appointments. This is a heavy offence and needs to be…discussed. A car is waiting for the both of you to take you to our much needed meeting._

_Sincerely,_

_President Coriolanus Snow_

Lethe balled up the letter and tossed it across the room in anger.

"We better go," I sighed.

Lethe stood up and squared her shoulders. "I won't let anything happen to us or to any of our loved ones."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

I smiled grimly and led us down to the car. It was the same kind of black car that drove me to all my appointments and I couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding as I settled back into the smooth seats, Lethe perched nervously at my side.

I knew we were being brought to the presidential mansion so I didn't even try to pay attention to the car ride. Lethe kept twisting her fingers in her lap until I reached over and wrapped my hands around her twitching fingers. She smiled at me gratefully but all I could muster was a weak nod.

What would Snow do? I already lost my brother Tor due to a misstep on my part with Snow, would I lose Marina this time? Or would Snow think it's funny to go after Briny and Seaton? Or would Snow think it's poetic to put an end to the poor mad girl back home that his favorite whore loves?

Then I thought of Lethe. Would Snow kill someone from her family?

"We're here," Lethe said suddenly, in the kind of hushed voice you would use at someone's deathbed.

I guess I had been too lost in my own thoughts. I nodded and scrambled out of the car. To no surprise, four Peacekeepers met us and escorted us into the mansion.

President Snow's mansion was too gaudy for my taste. Marble floors gleamed in the lights thrown from the many chandeliers while paintings and statues covered every inch you looked. Right in front of us was a huge staircase covered in a blood red runner leading to the upper floors. The Peacekeepers marched us up to the third floor and brought us into a large room I figured was Snow's study.

There were huge vases filled with the big red roses that Snow was known for covering every open space in his office. Instead of smelling nice, the roses gave off the smell of blood. Snow was seated behind a heavy desk covered in books and papers and behind him was a shelf of thick volumes that spanned the entire wall.

All four Peacekeepers retreated when Snow motioned them out but I knew they would be on just the other side of the door. Snow indicated the two chairs facing his desk and Lethe and I sunk into them with faces wiped of all emotions.

"It's a pleasure to see you two," said Snow, leaning back in his chair.

Lethe bobbed her head. "It's a pleasure to see you too sir."

I only nodded. In Snow's snakelike eyes, I couldn't see any kind of emotion as he took in Lethe. Wasn't he supposed to feel particularly fond of her?

"You're looking as lovely as ever Ms. Everton, or should I say Ms. Wellwood?"

Lethe tensed. How did Snow know that I knew all about who Lethe really was?

"Don't look so confused Mr. Odair. I have people everywhere. I know that you know about Lethe's true identity and I also know that you both skirted your duties because you both were too busy with each other."

Snow whipped out a small remote control and pointed it to the bar wall on his right. A section of the wall suddenly moved up, revealing a large TV screen. Snow pressed play and I watched in silent horror.

In amazing light since the room had been dark, I watched Lethe and I writhing around on the bed. I could see so well that it was like the lights had been turned on in the room. The microphone on the camera must have been amazing also because I could hear myself growling Lethe's name as our bodies moved together and her answering moans to my thrusts.

"Stop!" I shouted, jumping up from my seat with balled fists.

Snow let it play a few seconds longer so he could be sure we both soaked in what he had captured us doing and then he shut it off. The wall slid back into place and Snow leaned back in his chair.

"You bugged my apartment!" accused Lethe, venom spitting from her tone as she jumped to her feet.

"Sit down, both of you," ordered Snow.

We both reluctantly sat back down. I would have much rather stayed standing as to better protect myself if I had to but by the way Snow was looking at the both of us, I knew refusing wasn't an option.

"I'll get to you in a moment Mr. Odair but first, I must deal with Ms. Everton," simpered Snow.

I stayed tense but didn't move as Snow turned to Lethe. "Now, I remember you saying that you and Mr. Odair were simply friends since you didn't have many friends here in the fine Capitol. I know you also said he was important to you but I didn't think he was so important as to risk your family?"

I saw Lethe take a deep breath. "It wasn't planned. It's true that I don't have many friends and yeah, Finnick is important to me, but what happened was just because we were both lonely and it was a onetime thing. No feelings were involved and it will never happen again."

Snow smiled darkly. "That's where I know you're lying. Are you forgetting already that I have your apartment bugged? I know how you two…feel about each other."

"The lonely part wasn't a lie," said Lethe, slowly as she chose her words carefully. "I miss District 4 and my family and everyone else I left behind there."

"So you are blaming your yearning for District 4 on your feelings for Mr. Odair?"

Lethe stood up, defiant. "No, how I feel about Finnick is completely separate from my yearning to see District 4 again. Since I've gotten to know Finnick, I feel closer to District 4 than I ever have since my winning and it has just made me more and more lonely to be home."

Snow turned away from Lethe without acknowledging her little speech and turned to me. "So Mr. Odair, what are your reasoning's for what happened last night?"

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "You already know how I feel about Lethe. That's all the reasoning I have and need."

Snow quirked an eyebrow. "I wonder if Annie would feel the same way?"

I started. "How dare you bring Annie into this!"

Snow smirked. "Alas, you are the one that brought dear Annie Cresta into this."

"What?"

"You see, my people were okay with your supposed romance with Ms. Cresta since she was, pardon my language, crazy, and she was far away in District 4. I was not happy with that romance but as long as nothing changed with your job, I was okay to let you have your fun." Snow leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. "I'm sure when Ms. Cresta learns that she is dying because you couldn't uphold your deal since you would rather have your fun with Ms. Everton that she will just be ecstatic."

I was ready to throw myself over the desk and strangle Snow with my bare hands but he froze me with a piercing glare.

"So here is what we are going to do," said Snow, standing up and starting to pace behind his chair. "I like a little drama and a little fun, so by all means, continue seeing each other. Be warned though; you two are _not _skirt your duties again!"

"What else?" asked Lethe.

Snow smirked and it made my heart stop in dread for a moment. "Mr. Odair, you are traveling to District 4 in less than a week; am I correct?"

I nodded.

"Ms. Everton will accompany you," said Snow, turning to Lethe again. "Now, my lovely Lethe, you will just play the role of Capitol woman. You must not reveal who you actually are and if someone guesses, lie. I would like to see this little drama play out… The Famous Finnick Odair brings his lover— the beautiful Lethe Everton—home to his equally lovely girlfriend, Annie Cresta."

I crushed my teeth together to keep from yelling. Snow revelled in the pleasure of making our lives even more difficult than they already are. All he wanted as something entertaining to watch.

"It'll be my pleasure to take Lethe back to District 4 for a visit," I managed to ground out.

Snow smiled once more at the both of us. "Then you are dismissed."

We were almost out the door when Snow called after us. "Make you catch the news in twenty minutes."

* * *

"We won't make it back to my place in twenty minutes," said Lethe.

We were forced to walk back since no car was there to drive us when we were dismissed from the meeting.

"I have a bad feeling about why he wants us to watch it," I murmured.

"I do too."

"I mean, he didn't _do_ anything. Didn't he say it was great offence?"

A crease formed between Lethe's brows as she thought. "That's what the letter said. Unless…the reason he wants us to watch the news is our punishment."

I glanced up at the sky. "If we run, we can make it to the Square."

Lethe frowned. "Would that big screen TV be playing the news? Isn't usually only used for Hunger Games recaps and Caesar Flickerman shows?"

I shrugged. "It's our best shot. We _need_ to know what he wants us to see."

Lethe and I practically ran down the sidewalk until we came to the Square, which was situated right next to the Training Center. The Training Center was where all the Hunger Games Tributes stayed and trained for their time in the arena.

It was packed and crowed which was pretty usual even if the Hunger Games was still two months away. The Quarter Quell for the 75th Hunger Games would be announced in a couple of weeks and I couldn't be dreading it more.

Lucky for us, a breaking news report cut off some show about Katniss Everdeen's wedding dress choices. Not many in the crowd were paying attention so Lethe and I were able to stand pretty close to the screen.

I squeezed Lethe's hand as I recognized the scene lit up on the screen as District 4. There was a small village house burning with a crowd of people trying to stay back as Peacekeepers tried to put out the inferno. The words on the bottom of the screen said that the blaze had been contained and that Peacekeepers would soon have the flames out completely.

"What if…," said Lethe, too scared to finish her sentence.

"Don't think like that," I said grimly, squeezing her hands.

Lethe and I waited in silence as we watched the Peacekeepers in District 4 extinguished the building fire. The crowd only kept growing and I swear I saw the back of Marina's head in the crowd which made me feel a tiny bit better.

I couldn't contain this ball of terror that twisted my stomach into knots. My entire body was shaking with dread and the only thing stopping me from punching someone was Lethe's trembling hand in mine. It was a house I didn't recognize but that didn't mean Snow could have somehow got my parents in there. Annie or Briny and Seaton could have been in there. I don't know what I would do if one of my loved ones was found to have burned to death in that building.

When Tor had died, I had been a complete and utter mess. I cried, I skipped appointments, I broke things, I screamed and I curled up in bed for days on end so I wouldn't have to deal with people. For some reason, Snow hadn't targeted another of my loved ones when I skipped appointments. I think he had known that I wouldn't be able to perform to his expectations with the death of my brother.

I didn't know how I could possibly forgive myself if something else happened to those that I was trying to protect.

A few minutes after the flames were out, Peacekeepers entered the house. Lethe and I waited anxiously for them to come back out. One Peacekeeper ran out, shouted something at a handful of Peacekeepers keeping the crowd back and a few of them ran into the house with a black bag.

"A body bag," moaned Lethe.

A couple minutes later, two Peacekeepers came out supporting something long in the black bag. The crowd murmured and some shouted out but for the most part, the Peacekeepers ignored the crowd as they carried the body away.

No once made an announcement about the body but the words on the bottom of the announced that the body was the body of a Gully Emerson and that there were no other bodies.

I had just finished reading the scrolling words when Lethe started crying; huge gulping sobs. She ripped her hands from mine and sank to her knees in the pavement. Everyone turned to take in the scene with appalled and disgusted looks on their faces that someone could cause such a public disturbance.

"Lethe!" I gasped, kneeling down beside her and resting a hand on her back. "Shh, we have to get out of here."

Her fingers clawed the side of her head while hot tears dripped down her cheeks made wet spots on the pavement. She was gasping as she sobbed and tried to breathe at the same time. People started whispering and giving Lethe a wide berth.

I tried wrapping my arms around her and pulling her up but she fought me, shoving me in the chest and slapping my arms away.

"I know you're in pain. I know that was someone very dear to you but Snow _wanted_ and _hoped_ for you to fall apart in public. Don't give him the satisfaction," I murmured, bending my head down to her level.

She took a rattling breath, swiped the tears from her cheeks and pushed herself to her feet. "Don't let everyone stare," she whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself and hunching down so her hair hid the tears still pouring from her eyes.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her through the crowd as quickly as possible. I pushed a few people out of the way and even snarled at some but eventually we were away from the Square.

As I tried to hurry Lethe to my apartment, she stumbled a lot due to her blurry vision. I eventually swept her up in my arms bridal style and she wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in chest as she cried while I carried her to my place.

When we got there, I placed her on my couch and quickly brewed her a cup of tea. I grabbed a thin blanket to tuck around her and I settled on the couch with her while she sipped her tea. She snuggled against my side and I kept an arm around her.

This was the time where she needed me the most for just comfort. Someone close to her had just died at Snow's hands. I figured that killing someone Lethe loved was punishment for both of us since he would know that seeing Lethe in so much pain would hurt me too.

I smoothed down her hair and she wiped more tears from under her eyes. Her nose was red and so were her eyes but she looked extremely pale.

"That was my punishment, wasn't it," she gulped out. It wasn't a question; she knew that killing Gully Emerson was the price we paid for last night.

"Who was Gully Emerson?" I asked after a couple minutes of silence only interrupted by Lethe's sniffles.

Lethe burrowed deeper in my side and when she answered, it was muffled by my shirt. "Gully was my very closest friend. She and I grew up together."

Lethe broke into fresh sobs and all I could do was contain my hatred of Snow and try to comfort the grieving woman in my arms.

* * *

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	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

I guess we both fell asleep on the couch because the next thing I knew, the sun was slowing starting to set. I had fallen asleep with my head tipped back and my arms flopped to the side. Lethe was nowhere to be found but the blanket I had wrapped around her shoulders was now laid across my lap.

"Lethe!" I called, throwing the blanket aside and running my hands through my hair.

"In here!" she called back from the direction of my bedroom.

She was sitting on the end of my bed, cross legged with a black video tape in her lap. She looked up when I came in and tried to smile. Her eyes and the tip of her nose were red from her crying and under her eyes were slightly swollen.

"What's that?" I asked, sitting beside her and indicating the tape.

"If I tell you, will you promise to watch it with me?"

I was going to argue how that was a raw deal but then I took in her tear stained face, I gave in. "I promise I'll watch it. Now, what is it?"

"My Hunger Games."

She smiled sadly and indicated a small cupboard I rarely opened on my wardrobe. "President Snow gives all Victors tapes of all the Hunger Games. I figured you probably didn't know he had this cupboard stalked with all 74 videos."

"I knew I had 73 videos so Snow must have got someone to come in here to make sure my tapes were up to date. I knew they were there but I seldom open that cupboard so I can try to forget I have the tapes."

"Why didn't you just get rid of them?"

I shrugged. "I guess because I thought Snow would just replace them."

Lethe sighed. "You don't have to watch it."

"I promised you, didn't I? I'll watch your games with you."

* * *

We watched it from the moment she was reaped to the moment she was pulled from the arena by a hovercraft. She sat clutching my hands the entire time and she didn't even flinch once. It was easier for me to watch her games than mine but I didn't doubt that I would probably have nightmares tonight.

Watching the reaping, I figured out why people in the Capitol didn't recognize Lethe as Saffra. When Lethe had been 17, she had been shorter, definitely more well-muscled than she was now because at that time she would have been a Career, her hair had been shorter and both her skin color and hair color had been different. I was used to her golden blonde hair but during her reaping, it was almost white blonde— it had been bleached by the sun. Her skin had also been tanned, unlike the creamy colored skin she had now. She wasn't unattractive— fact was, she was really sexy in wild in a kind of way— but I was just used to seeing the Lethe I knew now.

"The sun in District 4 had bleached my hair," explained Lethe. "Now, being away from there, my hair eventually returned to its natural shade. Same with my skin."

"I can see how you caught the eyes Snow, Vamos and Seneca."

"Catching their eyes was what saved me and what damned me."

In the Tribute Parade, her stylists had made her wear a dress in white and different shades of blue and green to represent the ocean that bunched and ruffled in different places that were supposed to be waves. On her pile of blonde curls was a headdress made out of shells and starfish. Her district partner was a thick boy who looked 18. He was dressed in a suit to mimic her dress but he didn't have to wear the headdress.

For the interviews with Caesar Flickerman, she acted sexy but dangerous. Her stylists put her in a short tiered dress and every tier was a slightly lighter shade of blue. They had bunched her hair into an elegant bun with wisps of bangs framing her heavily made up face.

And then the games started. Her arena had been small; it only had a thin forest that covered half of the arena while a miniature lake and small rocky mountains covered the rest of the arena. The Cornucopia occupied the only open space and it was piled mostly with weapons. There had been only a handful of backpacks and absolutely no comfort items like sleeping bags.

Lethe didn't look at me when she started to talk; her eyes glued to the bloodbath replaying before our eyes. "You know, my friends and I had the hugest crushes on you after you won your games."

"It seemed everyone did," I replied, watching the past Lethe dragging a knife across a boy's throat.

"I was only 11 when you won. It was just a stupid little girl crush but as you got older, pretty soon you were the only thing occupying my friends minds."

"What about your mind?"

"We had a choice if we would become Careers. I chose to become a Career while my friends opted out and went to normal school," she explained. "My mind was too busy with training."

The bloodbath was almost finished. The Careers, which included Lethe, were picking off the few remaining Tributes. "I never trained to be a Career and even when they offered to include me before the games after seeing me in training, I said no."

I saw Lethe shake her head from my peripheral vision. "Being a Career…it's almost indescribable. They break down everything you think you know and then build you back up the way they want you to be. It's like they rewired you and now you think like they do."

"Whose they?"

"The instructors. I remember them being absolutely brutal; training until we passed out from exhaustion. The exhaustion they forced on us made it easy for them to indoctrinate us."

The bloodbath was now over and the Career pack had backed up to let the hovercrafts recover the dead bodies. That year, the Career pack had both Tributes from District 1, 2 and 4. "You're not like that now though. What changed?"

"Winning changed me," she answered. "After winning, you aren't blinded by the bloodlust you were taught to feel. Of course, I didn't officially win but I _technically_ did since I was the only one to come out of there."

"Sometimes, I think I would have been better off dying in the arena."

Lethe chuckled darkly. "I think that every day."

I watched the Careers picking over the spoils in the Cornucopia. "So since you were a Career, were you happy to be reaped?"

"Of course. We were taught to want that. But…do you want to know something?"

"What?"

"When my name was called and I climbed onto the stage, all I could think about was the fact that Finnick Odair was sitting right there and he would be my mentor," she said. "But after I was escorted onto the train and saw two completely different people there, I knew that you had probably only been there on stage because you had to."

"Yeah, even though I wasn't mentoring that year, Snow wanted me to make an appearance. You know, let everyone see the Famous Finnick Odair."

We watched the rest of her games in silence. It was only when there were eight Tributes left that Lethe spoke up again.

"This is the part I mainly wanted to watch."

Since there only eight Tributes left, the loved ones of the Tributes would be interviewed.

"Gully was interviewed?" I guessed.

"Yeah, along with my mom, dad and my other close friend, Conch."

The screen split into two halves— one showing the one of the eight Tributes while the other half showed the loved ones of that Tributes talking about them.

On one half, there was Lethe trying to hunt food with a bow and arrows in the sparse forest while on the other half, her mother talked about how strong of a person Lethe was. Her dad said Lethe was being under estimated by the other Tributes due to her size while Conch told a story about how Lethe had beat up a guy in her class who had threatened Conch.

"That's Gully," said Lethe, deep sadness evident in her voice.

Gully had had clue grey eyes and dark brown hair that hung in loose ringlets. She had been fairly pretty as she laughed about the time Lethe had tried to teach her how to swim and she Gully had almost drowned. I reached over and flicked off the TV with the remote once the interviews of Lethe's loved ones were over.

"What are you doing?" asked Lethe, turning to me for the first time since we sat down to watch her games.

"We both know how it ends. We don't need to keep watching it."

"I needed to see Gully," she explained.

"But you don't need to remember everything else that comes with it," I said, reaching forward and stroking her cheek. She leaned forward into my touch.

"I'm willing to deal with that as long as I got to see Gully."

"You don't need to be brave," I murmured. "Cry if you need to."

She smiled sadly. "I don't need to cry."

"What _do_ you need?"

"You," she whispered. "Make me forget Finnick. Make me forget my name."

I smirked. "Your wish is my command.

I stood up and swept her up into my arms and carried her bridal style into my bedroom. She locked her arms around my neck and kissed me like I've never been kissed before. It was filled with her sadness and despair but also with happiness, passion, excitement and love.

"Wow," I said in shock, laying her on the bed once she broke the kiss.

She smirked and patted the spot beside her. "Come here, you."

* * *

The next morning, I found two letters with loopy black handwriting slipped under my front door. One was addressed to me while the other had Lethe's name printed on it.

While Lethe was in the shower, I cut open my envelope and scanned the letter from Snow.

_Mr. Odair,_

_Your presence would be greatly appreciated at a ball to be hosted tonight by myself. A car shall be at your apartment at 9:00 pm sharp to pick up you and Ms. Everton. Keep in mind that the ball is formal and has a black and white theme. Here's wishing for a joyful evening._

_Sincerely,_

_President Coriolanus Snow_

I tossed the letter on my island and watched it slip over the edge and flutter onto the floor. Even though the letter had the sense that Snow was giving me the option to decline his invitation, I knew that he was really saying I had to accept or else.

"What are you stewing about?" asked Lethe five minutes later as she came into the kitchen. She was dressed in her clothes from yesterday and her damp hair was braided over her shoulder.

I pointed to her letter still sitting on the island. She furrowed her eyebrows as she scooped up the letter and I watched as she eyes moved across the page.

"Well that's not _so_ bad," she said, turning over the paper to see if there was more.

"Is yours the same as mine?"

Lethe turned her letter back over and read her letter out loud.

_Ms. Everton,_

_Your presence would be greatly appreciated at a ball to be hosted tonight by myself. A car shall be at Mr. Odair's apartment at 9:00 pm sharp to pick up you and Mr. Odair. Keep in mind that the ball is formal and has a black and white theme. Here's wishing for a joyful evening._

_Sincerely,_

_President Coriolanus Snow_

"I guess you're right," I said, shrugging. "It can be worse than going to a ball."

"Too bad we can't say no," sighed Lethe. "I not up to going to a ball. I mean, it was only yesterday."

I noticed she was close to tears again. After we finished making love last night, she had confessed that that had been exactly what she needed. She hadn't thought of anything except me and what I had been making her feel. Now, her cracks were starting to show again.

"I have something for you," I said. "Wait here."

I dashed into my bathroom, pulled open my mirror cabinet and pushed all my bottles on the top shelf to the side. Unless you were looking for it, you wouldn't be able to find the little secret compartment I had at the back of the cabinet. I pulled out a little baggy of pills I kept hidden and dug in the baggy until I found the little white pill I had been searching for. I stuffed the baggy back into the secret compartment and made my way back to the kitchen.

I set the pill on the island in front of Lethe and went to pill up a glass of water for her.

"What is this?" asked Lethe.

"It's called Obliterate."

Lethe sniffed. "Sounds nasty."

I chuckled as I placed the water beside the pill in front of Lethe. "It's an illegal pill given to me by one of my clients. I don't why it's illegal since almost everyone in the Capitol uses it at some point in their lives."

"I've never heard of this pill, illegal or not."

"People here in the Capitol use it to forgo the grief process," I explained.

"What!?" exclaimed Lethe.

I smiled. "The pill makes the memory of the loved one you lost fuzzy. You want to feel sad but the pill combats those feelings with endorphins."

Lethe shook her head. "But I don't want the memory of Gully to be fuzzy."

"But it won't always be fuzzy," I explained. "One pill equals enough endorphins for a month. Once you stop taking the pills, the memories come back into focus but you won't feel sad about the memories anymore."

"I'm so confused," said Lethe, eyeing the pill like it was going to bite her.

"Okay, I'll try to explain better. One Obliterate equals one month of endorphins. These endorphins make the memory of your dearly departed fuzzy and whenever you want to feel sad, the endorphins prevent you. You're able to function normally and everything, you just won't be able to feel sad about your loved one. Once you stop always wanting to be sad, the memories of your loved one come back into focus and you'll be able to think about them without grief because you would have skipped over the grieving process."

"So, I won't be able to feel sad about Gully but I'll be able to feel sad about other things? I'll still be emotionally functional?"

"Exactly. The endorphins target the source of your grief. So if you took this and then saw a cat get run over, you'd still be able to be sad about the cat."

"I can see why every Capitol person would take this at least once in their lifetimes."

I sat down beside Lethe. "You don't have to take it. It's just an option."

In one swift motion, Lethe put the pill on her tongue and took a swig of water. "I think I'll need this if we have to go to a ball tonight."

I put an arm around her waist and pulled her against me. "I think Snow wants to see you crack. He really wants to push your limits."

"I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing that," she said, burrowing her face in the crook of my neck.

"I don't want to think about Snow right now," I growled as I rubbed circles with my fingers onto the bare skin between her jeans and sweater.

"I don't want to think about him either," she purred, nibbling the side of my neck.

"Bedroom?" I offered, sliding my hands up her shirt and skimming the edges of her bra with my fingertips.

"Bedroom," she agreed huskily.

* * *

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	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

Lethe left after we finished the breakfast I attempted to make. She said she would go get ready at her place but when I offered her the spare bedroom to use to get ready, she said she would just pick up everything she would need then.

I helped her carry all her stuff up and then she shut herself in the bedroom to get ready. Since she would take a lot longer than me to get ready, I settled down to watch TV and read until eight.

I took a shower and shaved and then tousle dried my hair as I padded into my room with a towel around my hips. I dug in the back of my closet where I kept my nicer looking clothes and pulled out the suit I would wear.

I laid the suit on my unmade bed and decided to pick up my bedroom a bit. It was messed up from mine and Lethe's constant love making. As I was folding a pair of jeans, a bracelet fell out of a pocket. I tucked the jeans away and picked up the braided bracelet given to me from Annie.

Should I tie it back on? Should I leave it off? Before that night with Lethe, I had never taken it off in ten years. Could I put it back on and pretend it had never been taken off?

Instead, I tossed it on the dresser with the promise to myself that I would decide what to do after I was ready to go.

I changed into my traditional looking black and white tuxedo, tied my black tie with deft fingers, slipped on my silver cuff links with the District 4 symbol and slid on my nicest pair of black dress shoes. I liked my hair messily tousled so I left it like how it was.

I felt I shouldn't wear the bracelet so I put on a silver watch instead and left the bracelet where I had tossed it on the dresser.

"Are you ready yet?" I asked, knocking on Lethe's door as I passed.

"Just finishing up!" she yelled back. "Be patient."

I settled on the couch and checked my watch. We had five minutes until 9.

"Five minutes!" I shouted down the hall, glancing at my watch again.

I looked up when I heard a rustling and gaped as Lethe came to stand in front of me. She opened her arms to give me a better view of her dress. "What do you think?"

She was dressed in a startling white strapless dress that dragged on the floor slightly with a small ruffled train. The bodice was tight to accentuate her curves and it was made with smooth satin while there were small ruffles at her cleavage area. The dress was smooth all the way down past her bottom and then it flared out in white ruffles. On her wrists were silver bangles and simple diamond drop earrings adorned her ears. Half of her hair was up in an elegant bun while the rest flowed down her back in waves. As she stepped closer, I noticed miniscule little pearls and diamonds weaved into her hair. Her makeup was done to perfection as it complimented her eyes and cheekbones.

"You're radiant," I breathed once I was able to catch my breath.

"I know it looks like a wedding dress but when I read that the ball was black and white themed, I couldn't help it since I've never worn this dress. It's not a wedding dress though. My friend Cinna designed it for me," she said in a rush. "I hope this dress it okay and not too many people think it's a wedding dress."

"Calm down," I laughed, resting my hands on her bare shoulders. "You look beautiful."

"People won't think it's a wedding dress?"

"No, I assure you that they won't."

A mischievous light flickered into Lethe's blue eyes. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to my ear. "I can't wait until you get to rip this dress off of me tonight."

I cupped her bottom and pulled her flush against me. "Why don't I just peel it off of you now?"

Lethe pulled back with a playful smile. Then her eyes suddenly roved the length of me, taking in my appearance. "You look really handsome Finnick. Very sophisticated."

I chuckled. "Let's just go down. The car is probably waiting."

I held out my arm and Lethe looped her arm through mine. I locked the door behind us and escorted her down the stairs. Just like I thought, a black car was waiting for us. When the driver saw us, he scrambled out of the car and held open the door for us. Lethe managed to get inside with some difficultly and I slid in beside her.

"So your friend Cinna made this dress?" I asked once the car had started moving.

"Yeah, he was quite proud of it. It's made with gazar organza and satin and it's in the mermaid style. It has asymmetrical ruffles on the skirt and the bust is ruched."

I chuckled. "Did Cinna teach you to say that if someone asked about the dress?"

She blushed. "Yeah, he did."

"It's a beautiful dress."

"I offered to pay him but he likes designing things for people he likes so he gives me a couple of dresses now and then."

"Is this the same Cinna that designed Katniss Everdeen's clothes for last year's Hunger Games?"

Lethe looked surprised. "Yeah, it's the same Cinna. It was his first year designing for the Hunger Games but before that, he was just designing in general for anyone who wanted some of his work."

"I saw what he did for Katniss. He's a pretty amazing stylist."

"Cinna told me that he helped Katniss Everdeen with her talent after she won. Apparently, she took up designing like Cinna."'

"Are we thinking of the same Katniss Everdeen? I cannot imagine that girl wanting to be a designer. With her skills with the bow, she looks like she would be more at home in a forest than in a design studio."

Lethe shrugged. "That's exactly what I thought but Cinna swears that she's quite good."

We lapsed into silence until the car pulled into the circular drive in front of President Snow's mansion. There were tons of other cars with people climbing out.

As I climbed out and helped Lethe out, I had to stifle a laugh. The Capitol people looked ridiculous dressed in black and white with their neon coloured hair, dyed skin and jewel encrusted bodies.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Lethe, resting her hand on my arm.

I leaned my head slightly towards her. "I'm laughing at how ridiculous everyone besides us looks dressed in black and white."

I watched Lethe sweep her gaze over the people milling around at the entrance and then she had to try and contain her fits of giggles after seeing what I meant.

"What do you think this ball is for?" I asked when Lethe had straightened her face.

"I was wondering that too. Doesn't Snow only throw the Victory Ball at the end of every Victory Tour?"

Lethe and I joined the crowd waiting at the door. Snow himself was standing inside the door greeting every guest so the line was moving at a snail's pace.

"Usually. I have no idea what his plan is."

"You think he has a plan?" whispered Lethe.

"Probably. He wouldn't be doing this otherwise."

People kept throwing Lethe and I looks with smiles lighting their faces. One couple went so far as to give us the thumbs up. One man winked at me and another woman caught Lethe's eyes and started giggling uncontrollably.

After greeting Snow stiffly, Lethe and I swept into the magnificent ballroom. It was a gold and silver shaded room with crystal chandeliers dripping light onto the smooth marble floors the color of champagne. Gold gilded mirrors, tall candles in silver holders and red and gold wispy hangings decorated the walls. At the far left of the ballroom stood five large tables draped in red table clothes laden down with rich Capitol food. Two other red covered tables carried an assortment of different kind of drinks while smaller tables were set up around the banquet tables for people to sit while they visited, ate and drank.

"Now I'm really suspicious," Lethe murmured to me as we swept forward to the drinks. "I've known Snow personally for a while and he has never held this kind of ball for anything except the Victory Ball."

"Well he hasn't told us to do anything so, I don't know, maybe we should just enjoy ourselves while this kind of peace lasts."

"Finest idea of the night so far," Lethe said, grabbing a champagne flute with her free hand. I grabbed one also and then we swept along the room.

"I don't even want to talk to these people," I murmured as we passed a couple with matching violet hair.

Lethe took a sip of her drink before responding. "Then let's go sit and wait for Snow to come and kick off the festivities."

I snickered at the faked enthusiasm in her voice but I pulled out the nearest chair for Lethe. She leaned down to swish her train away so she could sit and then she settled down on the plush white chair. I settled across from her, setting my champagne flute down.

"Look at all that food," Lethe scoffed. "How much do you want to bet that not even half that food will be eaten by the end of tonight."

I turned in my seat to peer at the tables carrying the food but my eyes strayed to the far end of the drink table where there was a section just for coffee. "Be right back."

I came back cradling a small bowl of sugar cubes and I set it down on the table next to my champagne glass.

Lethe had an eyebrow quirked but she was smiling. "Sugar cubes?"

I popped one in my mouth and offered her another from my palm. "Want a sugar cube?"

Lethe picked it from my open palm with her fingertips and settled it on her tongue. I crunched the one in my mouth and tossed another onto my tongue.

"So is eating sugar cubes a habit of yours?" asked Lethe.

"Yeah," I chuckled. I grabbed a fistful of sugar cubes and stuffed them in my pant pockets. "Now I should return this before people wonder."

I had just settled back down at the table when President Snow made a grand entrance into the ballroom among loud clapping. Lethe and I clapped politely but we both stopped sooner than everyone else.

"Welcome, welcome," greeted Snow. He was standing on a small stage at the far end of the room with his arms thrown open. "I can make speeches later. Let us eat, drink, dance and be merry at the present!"

Almost on cue, a band I hadn't seen in the corner next to the stage drew the first cords and then started in on a slightly fast song. I saw many people rushing forward to start dancing around like their heads had been cut off.

"I'm not dancing," said Lethe, seeing me peering at the couples on the dance floor.

"In that dress," I said, turning back to her. "You should only dance to slow songs or else you might rip the dress if you dance like these people."

She swatted my arm with a smirk and took the last sip of her champagne.

"Do you want another one?" I asked, getting up.

I was about to go get Lethe another drink when a couple approached our table. The woman was wearing a voluminous white ball gown with rainbow diamonds decorating the bodice while the man was dressed in a white tuxedo with black stars on the cuffs.

"Why aren't you two dancing?" demanded the woman.

"We don't like this song," Lethe lied smoothly.

"I'll go get the band to play a slow song," offered the man.

"Yes," clapped the woman. "You two _must_ dance."

I shrugged my shoulders at Lethe's questioning gaze as the man navigated the crowd towards the band.

While the man was gone, the woman just stood there, smiling stupidly at us. I was too nice to ask her what her problem was but I could see that Lethe's temper was starting to boil and she was about to snap on the woman. To avoid a scene, I leaned over and pressed a sugar cube into her palm. She grinned and placed it on her tongue. At that grin Lethe flashed me, the woman looked like she was about to pee from excitement.

"Oh," giggled the woman when the music changed to a much slower tempo. "You two must go dance now."

"May I have this is dance?" I asked Lethe, proffering my hand."

She beamed. "You may."

We walked hand in hand to the middle of the dance floor and then I swept her into my arms. Her fingers interlocked around my neck while I settled my hand on her hips. Our bodies were pressed close as we swayed together.

"People are staring," Lethe murmured, looking up at me.

"Cameras are watching too," I whispered back, spotting two cameras circling around all the dancers. One of the cameras was entirely focused on me and Lethe.

I gripped her tighter just in case she got any ideas. "Ignore them and enjoy the moment."

Lethe smiled up at me and I leaned down to press my forehead to hers. Our bodies swished around the dance floor and pretty soon, I forget about everything except for this beautiful creature in my arms.

I brought up a hand and swept a strand of hair away from her face. I peered into her silver flecked blue eyes and felt like an overwhelming emotion was bubbling in my chest. "I love you Lethe."

Lethe cupped my face in her tiny hands—staring just as intensely into my eyes— and gave me a small smile. "And I love you Finnick."

I covered the small distance between our lips and pressed a heated kiss to her waiting lips. I didn't care that a camera was probably taping our embrace right at this moment for a stupid Capitol TV show or that President Snow probably wasn't going to be super pleased about our public display of affection. I just didn't care.

At that moment, all I cared about was this woman in my arms that had gone through so much and had given up so much yet she still had hope. Lethe, despite everything, still could love and she had chosen to love me. She had given me a great gift by letting me love her back.

When we broke our kiss, I smiled down at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead before resting my forehead against hers again. We stayed like that until the song ended and the band struck up another slow tune.

"Do you want to dance to this one?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not right now. I've had enough of the camera gawking at us for now."

I was leading Lethe back to our table when Snow himself stopped us. "Come dance with me Ms. Everton."

I watched as Lethe reluctantly took Snow's offered and he pulled her back onto the dance floor. I made my way to our table and sat down heavily. Nearly everyone was on the dance floor so no one paid any attention to me as I sat and munched on sugar cubes.

"You still have that habit?" sniggered a very familiar female voice.

I looked up grinned at Johanna. She was sheathed in a black, form fitting dress that had a thin white ribbon tied around the middle. Her hair was spiky like usual but she was wearing black and white bangles on her arms.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Talking to you, obviously."

I snorted. "President Snow invited you?"

"Of course he did," she replied airily. "So where's your girlfriend, Lethe?"

"Snow's accosted her. She's dancing with him right now."

Johanna grinned almost triumphantly. "So you don't deny she's your girlfriend?"

"No, why?"

She shrugged. "I thought Snow had got it wrong."

"Got what wrong?"

She grinned. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" I pressed.

She giggled. "If you don't know, I won't be the one to tell you."

"Tell me what?" I asked, exasperated.

Johanna instantly turned serious. "What about Annie though?"

"What about Annie?" I asked guardedly.

"Well you admitted that Lethe is your girlfriend. What about Annie?"

Truth be told, during my entire time with Lethe, I barely thought about Annie. I felt a stirring of guilt but quickly squashed it down. I loved Lethe and Annie. I had just to figure out which one I seemed to care for more.

"I don't want to talk about Annie," I answered gruffly.

"Did you and Annie get into a fight?" pressed Johanna.

"I don't want to talk about it Jo."

Johanna waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever. I can see that you really care for Lethe. Like, just this weekend when she broke down in the Square."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You were there?"

"Yup. I watched as you carried her away as she sobbed on your chest," said Johanna, peering at her fingernails. "That's how I know you care for her. As great as you are Finn, you aren't the comforting type unless you care for the person."

"I guess that's true."

"So I'm assuming that whoever that Gully chick was, was something that was important to Lethe."

I nodded. "Gully was her best friend."

"I hate the Capitol," Johanna scoffed under her breath.

"I agree."

Johanna smirked. "Good to know that you agree."

"Why is that good to know?"

Johanna leaned across the table. "Follow me in five minutes after I leave. Go down the hallway through the main entrance to the ballroom and take the third door on your right. Go down that hallway and take the last door on the left."

I frowned. "What for?"

"Just meet me there. Don't tell Lethe."

Before I could ask any questions, Johanna stood up and casually strolled out of the ballroom.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone that reviews :) I want those reviews to keep coming though! I want your opinions and critiques!**

**What do you think of Finnick's feelings for Lethe and Annie?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

I was lucky in that a queue to dance with Lethe started so I was able to slip out of the ballroom unnoticed by anyone. I followed Johanna's instructions and ended up in front of a plain brown door. I raised my hand and hesitantly knocked.

The door opened a crack and I recognized Johanna's eye peering out at me. When she realized it was me, she swung the door all the way open. "Finally."

"You only said to come after you in five minutes," I said.

"Whatever, get in here." Johanna grabbed my arm and yanked me into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. I watched as she stuck a chair under the doorknob for good measure.

"What's going on Jo?"

"Just come with me," hissed Johanna. She grabbed my arm again and led me through the empty room to a side door I hadn't noticed. She knocked three times, counted to three under her breath, and knocked another four times.

I heard a click and then Johanna pulled me into the room. It was a sparsely furnished and barely lit. There were two small couches and a hard armchair spread around the room with no windows or paintings. There was a cold fireplace at the far end with a dusty chandelier hanging above the room that threw weak light onto the two people sitting down in the room.

There was a slightly heavyset man with greying hair and a thick mustache the color of salt and pepper. He was dressed in a pressed white tuxedo for the ball and he was sitting gingerly in one of the couches.

I recognized Haymitch Abernathy. Before the 74th Hunger Games, he had been the only Victor from District 12 and he was an infamous drunk. Now, he was middle-aged and looked paunchy. His dull blonde hair hung scraggly about his face and he didn't bother to brush it out of his face. He had skipped the white and black theme for the ball since he was dressed in a dark blue suit. I was surprised to see that he didn't have a drink in his hands.

Johanna led me to the empty couch and we both sat down.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Did you lock the door Mason?" asked Haymitch, ignoring me completely.

"Do you think I'm an idiot," she scoffed.

"Well…"

"Now, stop it," chuckled the man sitting opposite me. "We're here for a reason, not to bicker."

"What's the reason?" I pressed. "And who are you by the way?"

The man puffed out his chest importantly. "My name's Plutarch Heavensbee. I'm the new Head Gamemaker."

"Oh, hell," I muttered angrily, standing up. "What happened to Seneca Crane?"

"Calm down Finnick," growled Johanna, yanking me back down. "Let us explain."

"You better make it quit Sweetheart," said Haymitch, checking his watch. "Before they notice one of the special guests of tonight is missing."

Before I could ask what that meant, Johanna grabbed my shoulders and forcefully turned me to face her. "There's a rebellion brewing Finnick. Haymitch's kid, Katniss Everdeen, started it when she pulled out those berries last year. Now is the perfect time to fight against the Capitol before this spark dies."

My ears started to ring while Johanna was speaking. Rebellion? Katniss Everdeen? Berries? Fight against the Capitol? I had always dreamed of fighting against the Capitol's oppression but I had always thought that those were pipe dreams. Could this rebellion actually be real?

"Tell me more," I managed to choke out. "Why's Plutarch here?"

Johanna sighed. She probably figured I would snap at the chance to fight the Capitol and I wouldn't need a lot of convincing. But now, as I faced the possibility of this rebellion being real, all I could think about was everything I would lose if I joined this fight and we lost.

"Plutarch is Head Gamemaker this year since Snow killed Seneca Crane. Plutarch is part of this rebellion on our side. He agrees that Snow and the Hunger Games need to be stopped."

"Why did Snow kill Seneca Crane?" I asked.

"Because he let Katniss live when she wasn't supposed to win which gave her to opportunity to pull out those berries. I'm assuming you know everything else to do with the berries."

I nodded. "I do. Snow saw her pulling out those berries as openly defying the Capitol. There has been unrest in the districts since Katniss pulled that stunt."

"Exactly. Haymitch swears that Katniss just thought of the best way to get her and Peeta home safe. She didn't have rebellion on the mind."

"I thought she did it for love?" I asked.

Haymitch laughed. "I don't think Katniss is capable of loving anyone other than her family. We just played along with the star-crossed lovers act they already had going to cover up what Snow thought was rebellion."

I thought for a moment. "So what exactly are you asking me to do?"

Johanna took a deep breath. "We're asking you to join our rebellion. We have a plan for the Quarter Quell and everything."

"The Quarter Quell? You know what the Quarter Quell is?"

Plutarch cleared his throat. "If I tell you what the Quarter Quell is, will you join us?"

Lethe and Annie flashed in my mind. If this rebellion failed and I was a part of it, I would lose them both forever. I wouldn't get to marry one of them and have children. Not to mention I would lose my family; mother, father, Marina, Cray, Briny, Seaton, and Mags.

But if I didn't join, would I be able to live with myself knowing I could have stopped the Hunger Games? The districts wouldn't live in poverty anymore. Snow wouldn't rule over us anymore. No more children being pulled from their parents and being sent to their deaths.

We would have peace and we would flourish. Panem could be a great nation if we were not under Snow's tyrannical rule. We could have a fair leader; one that would lead us to prosperity. Wasn't that a cause worth dying for? I think I would be able to greet death happily if I knew it was because I was helping to better the world for future generations on Panem.

I took a steadying breath. "I'll join this rebellion."

Plutarch grinned from ear to ear, Haymitch smiled and tipped his head in thanks to me and Johanna laughed and repeatedly cheered, "I knew you would!"

"So what's the Quarter Quell?" I asked, fighting against the ball of dread settling in my stomach.

Plutarch leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this…"

I frowned at his despairing tone. Johanna had gone silent and refused to look up. Her body was oddly stiff like she was fighting for control.

"Tell me. If I'm doing this, I need to know."

Plutarch nodded solemnly. "The Quarter Quell this year…ah…well, the Tributes will be reaped from the pool of Victors still living….to show that even the strongest among you cannot overcome the Capitol."

The room spun as I fought for control over my emotions. There was a chance I would go back into the arena! I thought that I was finished with it. I would never have to go back in there and kill 23 other people ever again. I was wrong…and it was worse this time. If I was going back in the Hunger Games, this time the people I would have to kill would be friends, not strangers.

I felt Johanna rest her hand on my knee as I tried to focus. I figured she was probably feeling the same way as me. We both knew that killing friends would kill a little bit of ourselves.

"We think the Quarter Quell was changed just for Katniss. President Snow wasn't to get rid of her," explained Haymitch.

I forced myself to focus. "What do you mean?"

"Katniss is the only living female Victor for District 12 which means that she is definitely going back in the arena. Now, I think I'm right in guessing that Peeta will want to go back in with Katniss to protect her."

"I thought they weren't in love?"

"Oh, Peeta really does love her but she doesn't really love him. Anyways, I know him well enough to know that if I get reaped, he'll volunteer to be with Katniss. Likewise, if he gets reaped, he won't let me volunteer."

The pieces were coming together in my mind. "So for this rebellion to live, we need Katniss."

"Exactly," said Haymitch.

"So you want us to protect her in the arena if we're reaped?" I asked.

Plutarch cut in. "Well actually…I hate to ask this….we _do_ need as many people as possible…ah, I have to ask you to volunteer if you aren't reaped."

"What!"

"Calm down Finn," said Johanna, gripping my arms to stop me from standing up. "I already agreed to it. We need as many supporters of the rebellion in the arena to protect Katniss."

I decided not to think about the fact that I would definitely be going back into the arena. "How many supporters do you have?"

"A lot," said Plutarch. "There is a handful from the Capitol, like Cinna—Katniss' stylist, Effie Trinket—the District 12 escort, and Katniss' prep team. There are others in the Capitol of course and other's in the districts."

"Who is the other's in the districts?"

"Well, there's Lyme from District 2, Beetee and Wiress from District 3, you and Mags from District 4—"

"Mags!" I yelled.

"Shh," hissed Johanna. "Yes, Mags."

I shook my head. "Who else?"

"Eta and Flux, you know—the Morphlings, from District 6, Johanna and Blight from District 7, Cecelia, Twill, Woof and Eddy from District 8, Dalton from 10, Chaff and Seeder from District 11, and a whole handful from District 12," said Plutarch, staring into space as he rattled off the names from the top of his head.

I was taken aback. "That's a good amount."

"And we even have more supports in District 13," said Plutarch excitedly.

"District 13?" I snorted. "That doesn't exist anymore."

"It does," said Haymitch. "That's where we're going once we help the Victors escape. They're giving us a lot of support for this rebellion."

"Hold up! Back up and fill me in on this plan to help the Victors escape and then tell me about District 13."

Johanna sighed beside me but she took up the job of informant again. "Want me to start with the plan for the arena?"

I nodded.

"Okay, well we're going to volunteer for the Quarter Quell to protect Katniss for the rebellion. Plutarch will try to keep as many supports of the rebellion alive in the arena as possible without being too obvious. Beetee has a plan to blow up the force field in the arena where hovercrafts manned by District 13 will come and rescue as many Victors as possible—supporters of the rebellion or not."

"Okay, so far I understand. So we don't all have to necessarily die for Katniss?"

Plutarch shook his head. "No, you don't have to die so Katniss can be crowned Victor above 23 others. We just ask that you protect Katniss so she lives until the hovercrafts rescue as many Victors as possible."

I rubbed my face with my hands and turned to Johanna. "What about District 13?"

"Well, Plutarch was the one that made contact with them. They say they are finally ready to fight the Capitol so we joined forces. They have a President named Alma Coin and others who are throwing their might behind us."

Haymitch checked his watch and jumped up. "We should go. This meeting has lasted too long."

Everyone stood up and Plutarch busied himself with a small metal cylinder that I hadn't noticed sitting on the floor by his feet.

"What is that?" I asked, as Plutarch pressed buttons on the metal.

"It creates disturbances in the airwaves so if this room is bugged, it wouldn't be able to pick up on anything…there, it's off so we better go," said Plutarch, pocketing the metal object.

We all left the room at different speeds so we would all enter the ballroom at different times. I was first as I walked briskly back to ballroom as I tried not to think about everything I had just heard.

I had just promised to sacrifice myself in favor of Katniss if I had to. I was essentially giving up a life with either Annie or Lethe because there was no guarantee that I would come out of the arena that I'm willingly going into. I was giving up seeing my parents ever again, watching Briny and Seaton grow up and seeing Marina and Cray grow old together. I was giving up the chance to get married, have children of my own and grow old with the woman I loved.

I straightened my back and I strengthened my resolve. I would not be moved and I would not pull back my promises. I was doing this so Briny and Seaton grow up without the threat of the Hunger Games hanging over their heads. I was doing this so we could be free of Snow. I was doing this so there could be peace among Panem.

And who knows; maybe I would survive this rebellion unscathed and I could live happily.

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**I felt kind of sad writing that very last line because we all know that in the books, he doesn't make it out alive...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't Suzanne Collins and I do not own anything.**

* * *

When I sidled back into the ballroom, I found Lethe sitting alone at our table, her fingers tracing the lip of her champagne glass.

"Hey," I said, sitting down across from her.

She looked up. "Where were you? I had to dance with that foul guy with the violet hair we saw before."

I wanted to tell Lethe where I had been more than anything but I knew I would put her in danger if she knew. I wanted to pour out all my worries about the Quarter Quell to her; how I was for sure going back into the arena; how I might not make it out this time; how I was leaving people behind so they might have a better future; and how the nightmares I would definitely have about this would start to kill me from the inside out.

"I went to the bathroom and then I ran into Johanna. We talked for a while and I lost track of time," I said, trying to arrange my face into a look of innocence.

"Johanna's here?"

I waved my hand over my shoulder. "She's here but she went off somewhere."

Looking at Lethe, I felt a tight ball of dread settle in my stomach. What is she somehow gets pulled into this rebellion? If she gets pulled in, what if she doesn't make it out alive? Could this amazing woman who has suffered so much already deal with a rebellion? Or would it shatter her like nothing else has been able to do? Would she want to be part of the rebellion?

I took a deep breath to calm down. I contented myself with the knowledge that everyone thought Saffra Wellwood dead so there was no way possible that Lethe could be reaped again. Lethe was at least safe from the arena.

Lethe reached forward and rested her hand on mine. "Are you all right Finnick?"

I smiled as best as I could. "I'm fine."

Lethe looked doubtful but she didn't press me which I was thankful. "Would you like to go dance?"

Dancing was exactly what I needed to distract me. "Of course."

Lethe took my offered hand and I pulled her into the throng of dancing couples with a genuine smile on my face.

* * *

"I can't believe I tripped her!" laughed Lethe, gripping her stomach as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"I can't believe that she just got up and started sputtering that since it was you, it was okay," I snorted, leading Lethe back to our table with a hand on the small of her back.

"Oh, that was funny," huffed Lethe. She sunk into her chair and tried to wipe her grin from her face.

I sat down across from her and tossed my last sugar cube into my mouth. "I wonder when we can leave."

Just as I finished my sentence, President Snow climbed onto the stage across the room. "Well, the evening is almost at a close."

At this there were many groans from the crowd. Snow just smiled down at them like you would an insolent child.

"Now, is the time for a speech I think. Let us bring up our Special Guests!"

Suddenly, two handsomely dressed men flanked Lethe and I on either side and ushered us from our seats, towards the stage.

"What's going on?" Lethe mouthed to me as the men steered us towards Snow among the enthusiastic clapping of the audience.

I shrugged helplessly. We were led up onto the stage where Snow gestured grandly to us. "Let's have a hand of applause for our Special Guests."

Everyone started to clap again and they only stopped when Snow made shushing gestures. "Now, we all know why we're here tonight! We are here to celebrate the beautiful relationship of the famous Finnick Odair and the Capitol's own, Lethe Everton!"

I clenched my fists and I heard Lethe gasp quietly beside me. So that's what Johanna had meant.

"As with every Hunger Games Victor, the Capitol wishes the best for the Victors. So it's with great happiness that we celebrate Finnick Odair finding love among the many beautiful Capitol women. Lethe Everton, I'm sure every woman in the Capitol and in the districts would agree that you are extremely lucky."

Snow turned to appraise us among more clapping. I managed to smile weakly while Lethe forced her lips into a part grimace, part smile.

"So let's have a toast!" boomed Snow, raising his champagne flute. "To Mr Finnick Odair and Miss Lethe Everton! May you have many a joyous times together!"

The crowd mimicked Snow—raising their glasses and repeating the toast. Once they took a sip, they politely clapped.

The Peacekeepers gestured Lethe and I off the stage while Snow finished off his little speech.

"Now let's have one more dance to finish off this evening!"

The way Snow glanced at me as he said this made it pretty clear that Lethe and I dancing to the song that started up was non-optional.

"Let's dance," I murmured, resting my hand on her hip.

She must have seen Snow's glance too because she pressed herself tight against me. "Of course."

We swayed along to the music and every other couple dancing swirled around us.

"There's camera's watching us again," I murmured into Lethe's ear.

"Let them watch," she growled low into my ear, nipping at my earlobe.

We danced together until the music gently ended and everyone started clapping as the camera panned to capture the entire crowd. Men attended to the woman as everyone made to gather their things and leave before there was a lineup for cars.

"Let's go before Snow decides to keep us longer," Lethe murmured, grasping my hand and pulling me after her into the crowd.

Us being the guests of honor, the crowd easily parted for us and we managed to make it outside without much trouble. We hopped into the nearest nondescript black car we could find and I ordered the driver to bring us to my apartment.

"Are you sure?" asked Lethe as the driver pulled out of the driveway. "I could go back to my place."

I shook my head. "It's fine. Your place is bugged, remember?"

She crossed her arms. "And it's going to stay bugged. Even if I search out all the cameras and everything, he'll just replace them. So really, I should just get used to it."

"Well no use returning to your place if you don't need to," I said, winking at her. "We can have fun at my place."

"Of course, but I will need to go back to my place tomorrow."

"Why?"

"I have an appointment tomorrow. I'm booked solid until you leave."

"Until we leave," I reminded her.

She shook her head. "My appointment is with Snow tomorrow. I'm going to try to get out of this trip."

"Why? I thought you _wanted_ to visit District 4."

She smiled sadly. "I do, more than anything. But with you and me and Annie, the visit will be nothing but a disaster. I shouldn't go."

I reached around to grab her hands. "It'll be fine. We'll figure something out. Don't let this stop you from seeing your home."

"We'll see."

The car pulled next to the sidewalk and was off again before we barely made it out of the car.

"I wonder what has a stick up his ass," muttered Lethe as she followed me up to my door.

"He's probably going to pick up more people from the party," I said, unlocking the door and gesturing Lethe inside.

"You know," said Lethe, looking around as I flicked on the kitchen lights. "Your place is probably bugged too."

"What makes you say that?"

She gave me a look. "Obviously because you're Finnick Odair. I'm sure he bugs all his Victors living quarters in the Capitol."

"You know what I was wondering," I said, pulling down two glasses from the cupboard and filling them with water. "Why were there cameras? What need would Snow have to record a ball?"

Lethe took my offered glass gratefully and took a sip. "It's probably footage for some stupid Capitol TV show."

"Probably…," I agreed reluctantly.

"Come," said Lethe, putting down her glass and starting to slowly walk down the hallway to my bedroom. "Didn't you say you couldn't wait to peel this dress off of me?"

I grinned, shut off all the lights, and eagerly followed Lethe to my bedroom.

* * *

Just like Lethe, I was kept unusually busy with clients until our departure date. My clients found me even more desirable now that I had a well-known girlfriend and they considered sex with me to be the forbidden fruit kind of stuff. At the end of every appointment, I was always told how lucky of a woman Lethe was to have attained the Famous Finnick Odair.

I was kept so busy that I didn't get to see Lethe at all that week and we only had enough time for early morning phone calls. It was during one of these phone calls that Lethe—sounding both reluctant and excited— that me that Snow vetoed her plan to stay in the Capitol while I left.

"Well that's good, isn't it?" I had said.

"It is good. I'm so excited to go home but we need to figure things out. I know how you feel about both Annie and I so I can't really just show up at her doorstep, now can I?"

Lethe was right. It wasn't fair to Annie for me to just bring Lethe to the home we shared and expect her to welcome her with open arms.

"We'll figure something out," I had promised.

Now, thankfully, it was the afternoon when we were supposed to depart for District 4. I didn't have clients that day so I spent the majority of the day cleaning my apartment and packing. When I was ready, I swung my bag over my shoulder and went downstairs.

I wasn't surprised to see my usual black car waiting for me. I climbed into the backseat and took deep breathes to contain my excitement.

Like usual, the train station was busy. I managed to find Lethe standing by the steps to the District 4 door, looking really nervous. She was on simple jeans and a sweater with her hair pulled back into a messy bun. She had only one bag slung over her shoulder.

I went up to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Ready to go?"

She smiled in relief at seeing me. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's go then."

She clamoured up the steps with me at her heels. Behind us, a Peacekeeper shut the door and locked it.

"Wow," breathed Lethe, dropping her bag by the door and taking in the train. "I haven't been in here for a while."

"Do you want something to eat?" I asked. "I haven't eaten anything today."

"I haven't eaten either. I was too nervous."

"Well let's go find something."

I took her hand and we walked down to the dining room cart.

"This place really brings back memories," she mused as she sunk down at the dining room table. "I mean, I wasn't exactly scared when I was here since I was a Career but I remember being really nervous."

"Much like you are now?" I guessed as I filled up two bowls of fruit.

"Exactly," she laughed.

I sat down across from her and slid her bowl across the table. As we started to eat, she started to stroke the scratch in the table with her free hand.

"You know, when I was a Tribute, I sat in this very spot and wondered where this scratch came from."

I laughed. "I did that."

"When you were a Tribute?"

"Yeah. My district partner's mentor was making me mad and I almost stabbed him."

She laughed. "But instead you stab the table?"

"Well I wasn't aiming from him so I guess I purposely stabbed the table."

"Well that's a mystery solved," she laughed, running her fingers over the scratch. She finished her fruit and pushed the bowl away.

"Say Finnick?"

"Hmm?"

Her eyes glinted in the lights from the chandelier. "Have you have ever had sex in the Tributes compartment in the back."

I smiled. "No."

"Want to try it out?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

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**Everyone knows that reviews make the fanfiction world go around so please make sure you review.**

**Anyways, I'm so sorry about the long wait! Forgive me; I had a huge case of writer's block :)**


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